Sunflower Hill Farm, LLC

Freddy vs. skunk

2012-02-12T19:54:00.001-08:00

Skunk wins.

Ok Ok - I'm back

2012-02-08T19:09:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been very difficult for me to blog lately. Not because I don't have things to say, but because, I've had a hard time readjusting to life back in WI. You see, we went to Disney World. All 6 of us + my dad. We had......an amazing time. Honestly, amazing doesn't even really sum it up. It was wonderful, fantastic, great, happy, relaxing, smiley, joyful, and I could go on and on. Granted, it's a LONG way from WI to Orlando......LONG. We were stuck in traffic many times (Atlanta) and were stopped for more than 2 hours on I75 outside of Gainesville due to a very terrible & tragic pile up....
We didn't have a lot of time but boy, did we make the most of it! We all loved it. Peter has been the most upset about not being there (besides me....). He has cried everyday that we had to leave and return to our "normal" life. But, I guess that's the way vacation is. You plan & think & dream & plan, then go & enjoy. Then it's back to normal. For us, that always includes planning the next trip (we already have our thinking caps on for another vacay in Oct!).
So, returning home meant back to work & chores & teaching & doula-ing & seeing friends & cooking instead of eating out.....or eating sandwiches....& fires in our fireplace (there was no need for that in FL & we spent every afternoon poolside....ah!). It's all good. Bri has a big shindig at the UW tomorrow. I'm on call for a birth & have a meeting with another client tomorrow (and was hired by 2 more while we were away!). The boys are back into their life. But, we're all missin' Epcot & "Worlds" & the Rockin' Roller Coaster & Expedition Everest & the dubloon guy at our resort & the pool/hot tub & the fireworks & the tree & GRANDPA........a great trip and one we'll never forget!

This Place

2012-01-25T05:40:00.000-08:00

Have I told you lately how much I love where I live? I mean it. I really really really love it. I look out on the beauty of the rolling hills of SW WI. I can only see one neighbor (my inlaws). I have acres & acres of land to walk & explore. I have found like-minded people some of which are midwives, unschoolers, straw-clay house builders, homesteaders and sometimes all that rolled into one. It's an amazing place, I'll tell ya.
One of the newest additions is.......get this........a barn converted into a yoga studio.......literally 2 minutes from my house!! Who woulda thunk it? Anywhoo, said studio hosted a concert last night of Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart. And you know what? During a break, I met a woman who is a doula & midwifery student. Come on! Anyway, this video is Mark & Stacey doin' their thang. Wonderful!

How we roll on a very snowy day!

2012-01-20T14:38:00.000-08:00

It is a snowy, wintery, blustery day here in the beautiful rolling hills of SW WI. We've had a great day at home snuggling around the fire, eating, knitting (well, I'm the only one knitting), playing music and hunkering down. I'm also going to go through our seeds and get the list going for what to order for this years garden! I love this time of year - all the possibilities, no weeds, prolific produce, ahhhh, it's wonderful to dream and plan. We grow a lot of our food (summer months, I would say we're at 80%) and we can, freeze and dry a lot for the winter. This time of year I'm jonesin' for some really good lettuce or a real tomato. We have big plans this year for expanding our garden & our farm outreach and this will include an expanded garden. Very exciting!
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is one of my favorite catalogs to look through. They put out one amazing catalog and I'm really hopin' that one day I can make the trek to Mansfield, MO and attend their spring festival!

Happy Heavenly Birthday

2012-01-18T13:00:00.000-08:00

Today would have been my mom's 68th birthday. Tomorrow would have been their 49th wedding anniversary. It's been a tough day. I came across a picture of the day Tom was born and there was my mom, holding on to the side of him as a much, much younger Joe held his new baby brother. It was her hands that got me. She loved her beautiful, long red fingernails. I miss you, Mom.

Happy 9th Birthday, Tom!!

2012-01-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

(Tom is the boy on the lower right in the red shirt)

Another very special day in the Bubenzer House, Tom's Birthday! 9 years ago a very special boy entered the world. We waited and waited and waited some more and finally, he made his grand entrance. Immediately, I knew this boy was special - loving, patient, kind-hearted, easy going. Tom is an animal lover who is very curious & likes to figure out how things work. Give him an old electronic to take apart & he's in heaven. We love you so much, Tom!!

From the book, On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier
On the day you were born
the Earth turned, the Moon pulled,
the Sun flared, adn, then, with a push,
you slipped out of the dark quiet
where suddenly you could hear....
...a circle of people singing
with voices familiar and clear.

"Welcome to the spinning world," the people sang,
as they washed your new, tiny hands.
"Welcome to the green Earth," the people sang,
as they wrapped your wet, slippery body.
And as they held you close
they whispered into your open, curving ear,
"We are so glad you've come!"

Happy 16th!!

2012-01-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

(Joe - wearing Bri's West High jacket, and Will)

16 years ago, a very special man made his way into our lives. Joseph Dean Bubenzer! I love to ask new moms, "what do you know now that you didn't know before that birth experience". Well, that amazing day, I knew that Bri and I were a rockin' team and our connection & devotion to each other grew 100 fold. I knew that I had more strength that I could have imagined. I knew that my capacity to love had stretched bigger than I could ever dream. I remember a few days after Joe's birth saying to my mom "this is how much you love me?" she just smiled and nodded.
Joe, you are an amazing kid. Thoughtful, intuitive, smart, funny. You're gonna do big things in this world. We love you so much! Happy Birthday!!

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

So cute! We are staying home, playing Wii, reading, knitting, eating, laughing, enjoying some restful family time and looking forward to "staying up till 12:30" (says Peter). Here's to 2012 and a much better year!

Goodbye 2011...Good riddance

2011-12-29T06:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, 2011 will not go down as one of my favorites....in fact, I'm really glad to see 2011 leave. I'm looking forward to 2012 and all the possibilities a new year brings. We have some big plans, some little plans, a very exciting trip (Disney!). I have big plans for my childbirth education/doula business! Some house repairs/remodels.
I really do love this time of year. It gives me space to reflect on what works or not and what to change for the future. I usually spend some time with the boys talking about their goals & desires, what they are really interested in doing, what goals they are setting for themselves, what activities they'd like to see happen. Bri is home much more and that's wonderful. It's a good, winding down, gearing up time.
Today, the J & W's guitar teacher (who back in the area while on break from grad school) is coming to our house for a lesson. They are soooo excited. And......the roofer is coming!!
Do you know what we do on New Year's Eve? Clean our oven! We're partyin' people. Enjoy the remainder of the year.

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

(photo is our wonderful New Glarus). Wonderful Christmas Eve, wonderful Christmas day. Very low key, no stress. Love that. Boys got great prezzies. My dad is taking us to Disney World. Wow! Merry Christmas all!

The longest night, the shortest day

2011-12-22T18:17:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year. Winter. Darkness. Sleep. Dreaming. Planning. Reading. Knitting. Fires. Amazing night skies. Snow (although, not this year.....). Root vegetable eating. Eating out of our root cellar. Spinning. Guitar/banjo playing.
We had a little Solstice Celebration tonight. I read a faerie story. We turned off all the lights and talked about what we love about winter. We talked about 2011 and our expectations for 2012. We lit the yule log & sprinkled some special "flue powder" on it (it's this stuff that makes the logs burn all sorts of interesting colors). We sang "The Holly & the Ivy" and recited this solstice poem:

"Solstice Sun, Shining Bright!
Shortest Day & Longest Night!
Solstice Wish of Hope & Cheer,
Peace on Earth throughout the Year! "
~Selena Fox

Gratituesday - Those who have gone before

2011-12-20T05:32:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen this book? If you are a homesteader, I bet you have. Carla Emery was a pioneer in her time. She lived & wrote & wrote what she lived. This is a huge book - part reference, part guide, all inspiration. If you need to know what to do with extra milk from your cow, look here. If you need to know how to grow vegetables without chemicals, look here. If I randomly turn to a page, I turn to the section on how to grow, harvest & cook fava beans. This book has it all!
About a year ago, I was over at my mother in law's (they live across the road from us!) and she said she wanted to show me something. Do you know what she pulled out of a very large, manilla envelop? A typeset, very early addition of this book!!! Complete with hole punches tied with make-shift twisty ties. Not even kidding. I about fainted when I saw it. She said "oh, do you know this book?" Know it, I checked it out of the library more times than I could count & could only really rest when I broke down & purchased one for myself (I don't do that very often....frugality and all, you know).
As many of you already know, my motivation/inspiration has waned this fall. Probably has something to do with that little event in my life - my mother dying......ugh.......I just haven't got my usual mojo. Typically, we spend time in the fall getting ready for winter. This year, I feel so very far behind. We didn't even put the garden to bed (clearing, maybe raking, maybe doing a bit of prep so next spring it's ready to go).
If I look in Carla's book (we're on first name basis, doncha know), she even has a section on death & dying, right next to the section on birth. She left nothing out. The women who have walked this path before me have always given me inspiration. I guess at this place in my journey, I need their words of wisdom even more.

Gratituesday - Freddy again

2011-12-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

Here he is. Here's our boy, Freddy. Some of you might know him. Some of you haven't had the pleasure. He's a wonderful dog. Just don't put your face in his face, especially if you are a man. He doesn't like that. At all. Otherwise, this dog is da bomb! Freddy is probably 8+ years old (we don't really know cuz he was found in a dumpster in a campground as a puppy and because of those idiots, we don't know exactly how old he is). Anywhoo, in his advanced years, Fred has become a wonderful, wonderful farm companion to me. He goes with me, every time, to do chores. He never complains, he never says "oh, you go this time, I'll catch ya next time". Nope. Every single time, he's ready & more than excited to go to do the chores. Really cool - he has now started "rounding up" the chickens. I have to remind him to not go too fast. I have to remind him to just chase and not catch but he does it. He makes sure those chickens are safely in for the night. He listens to me. I say "hey, not so fast" or "go home" or "go to the barn" or "you stay right there" or "hey, Fred stop eating the cat food" and....he does it! You cannot even imagine how much I love this dog. He is super cool & super faithful & super super. Wanna know something else really cool about Freddy? He bows. As in downward facing down kinda bow. All the time. We bow back and say "namaste, Freddy". He does this all the time when he knows it's go outside time. And after watching him, I understand why that yoga move is called downward facing dog. Freddy is cool. I love him. The end.

Gratituesday - oops

2011-12-07T13:18:00.001-08:00

Well, only 2 weeks in and I already forgot. Might have been something to do with: a leaking roof, a leaking toilet, breaking it, having to replace it, so decide to remodel the entire room, trips to hardware/home improvement stores, watching YouTube on how to replace a toilet flange, .....cleaning out place where toilet was........only to find a 10" cast iron pipe with flange attached, rethinking 42nd toilet changing plan, picking out a very bright paint color & then painting (to which Joe replied, it makes me feel like an "infinity" room), not being able to start van no matter how hard I hit the starter (which I did find after a dicussion with my dad that went something like this "get on your back, next to the drivers side wheel, it's a large round thing with wing nuts, etc, etc).....oh and picking out tile and for once in my life listening to my inner voice say, "yes the 2x2" black & white tile is really cool but you know how hard the grout is to clean especially with boys/men you really should go with the larger tile & a darker grout". So, on this Wednesday, I am grateful for......hmm.....the confidence to look at something and say "we can do that". Although, this may not turn out in the long run and we may have to call in a professional, right now we have confidence and elbow grease and willingness. I think.

Water, water everywhere......

2011-12-05T07:01:00.001-08:00

and not a drop to drink. Ugh........came home from Saturday's wonderful (but over-stimulating) trip to Navy Pier to..........wait for it...........A LEAKING ROOF! How bout that, folks! Doncha love it????? Not to be outdone, the toilet decided it was time for it to start leaking, too. Using all the brute strength I can muster, I ........wait again.............broke off 1/2 the porcelain trying to unbolt the tank from the toilet!!! Aren't you proud of my efforts!!!!!! After a bit of a breakdown, we decided that we would have to change the toilet and while we're at it............it's the most opportune time to redo the flooring as well!!! I mean, since the toilet will be gone, we can really access the flooring.
On the positive side, this is the bathroom we refer to as "a true water closet" so it will only take a few large tiles to redo. On another positive note, the toilet has to be pretty old (we've been here 8 yrs and never replaced it - I'm sure the previous owner didn't either. He would probably have "installed" a bucket.) So, here we are making repairs & updates. Ah, life in a 100+ year old farmhouse......

***update: now......the van won't start. After trying to jump it, I called NG Motors & they think it's the starter. He told me to try to start it quickly and if that didn't work "have someone hit it with a mallet".....now if only Bri or I knew what the starter looked like or where it is located........is this the 3rd event? Can we be done with this now?

Kinderchor is at it again!

2011-12-02T15:45:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow, we all travel by charter bus to Chicago's Navy Pier Winter Wonderfest. The Swiss Consulate invited the New Glarus Kinderchor to sing (how cool is that???)! We are all looking forward to it. Just in case you've never seen the Kinderchor in action, here is a link to one of their most popular songs ("Teach Me How to Yodel", made famous when Disney did "Adventures in Dairyland" and even visited our quaint little town).

Did I mention how much I love this town and especially, Kinderchor???!!!

Gratituesday - Dentist

2011-11-28T20:37:00.000-08:00

I'm not one to go to doctors. I questions everything. However, when one breaks off part of one's crown (not while eating, mind you. While cutting up onions......), it is time. I'm posting this on Monday evening because we have to get up bright and early (when I typed "bright" I accidentally typed "birth"....hmmmmm) - 8 (be quiet, Brian) and get to Madison so I can see our very sweet and kind dentist. Ugh.....I hate this. Oh well, guess that's what has to happen. Today, I'm grateful for dentists.

**Edited on 11/29/11 at 7:02pm while sounds of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" are heard from the livingroom - Alls well with the tooth! No new crown!!! Best dentist anywhere! He sanded it down and said, "you'll be fine". The crown is 16 years old but for now, it's just fine.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

This is a pic from the day after Thanksgiving in 2009 (my family and my parents pictured). It's our tradition to go the day after Thanksgiving and cut down our Christmas tree at a local farm (the owner is a former Midwife!). This Thanksgiving feels quite different than ones in the past. I knew this day would be a challenge for me. As is our tradition, we are cooking recipes from special women in our lives: Bri's grandmother's yeast rolls, my grandmother's dumplins & cornbread dressing. Last night, I took out these recipes written in the handwriting of Bri's grandmother and my mom. I decided that these documents were too important to ruin and so I laminated them.
There is much to be grateful for, even through the tears.

Reinstated Gratituesday

2011-11-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

Dr. Andrew Weil has a new book out, Spontaneous Happiness. I saw him the other day on some show and he was talking about gratitude and how it can affect our lives in a positive way. Because of that spark, I decided to reinstate Gratituesday, seems timely given that we are 2 days from Thanksgiving.
Although, I will not be sad to see 2011 come to a close, I will do my best to focus on what I am grateful for vs. what I have lost/don't have. There, now that's positive thinking for a Tuesday morning, right?
So, here goes. A short list of my "gratitudes" (is that a word?) for today:

Of course, my family. That goes without saying. I have an amazing husband and 4 amazing sons, but you knew that already, didn't you?
a nearby farmer/neighbor who converted her barn into a studio where I get to do yoga. She lives 2 minutes from my farm!
The freedom and ability to do something (that pays me in actual cash, not only in hugs, kisses or gratitude) that I really, really love - teaching about & attending births
Our little piece of heaven out here in the country
Wonderfully supportive friends & a network of like-minded folks out here in the boonies!
The start my parents gave me in life. Because of their commitment, I was able to become the woman/wife/mother that I am.

Of course there are tons more but that's where I'll focus today. (Oh, and I'm also grateful that in the wee hours I was able to finish up my talk for tonight.) Happy Gratituesday, y'all!

Just in Time for Thanksgiving Event!

2011-11-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow evening this event will be held. Should be a great way to connect with some local farmers & buy some local food. Come on out and join the fun!!!

I'm here but....uninspired

2011-11-17T15:19:00.000-08:00

I just can't get my blogging mojo back. I'm not sure what it is. Well, one thing. I cannot for the life of me find my camera.....I hate losing things. I have looked & looked & looked. I'm sick about it. Just text seems, well, like just text.

We're doing things. We've had friends visit. Run errands. Had Dr visits. Cleaned & done laundry & cooked. Taken care of animals and petted really, really cute sheep. We've split & stacked wood and had several fires (temps last night were barely in the 20s). But, of course, there is no photo proof, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
I think I need to overhaul the blog & start with fresh eyes. And find my camera....

Speaking of bees and stuff

2011-11-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

With all the happenings of this past month, we completely forgot about a little something we agreed to do about 6 months ago. That little something? Drive Tom to Missouri to the Small Farm Show to speak about his bees & experience. Ooops. Originally, we thought this would be a nice little get away AND we'd stop and see my parents. So, we've pulled it together and some of us are headed south tomorrow. Currently, Tom and Peter and I are going. The jury is still out on Will. Joe is going to stay with Bri and do chores and man stuff. We have a few days to get Tom up to speed on what he'll say. Right now his plan is to say "Hi. I'm Tom Bubenzer. I'm 8 and I have bees." That should take about 8 seconds. I think he'll do a little intro and then we'll answer questions. We are planning on taking all the bee equipment. When I told him he needs to speak at this show on Saturday, he said "oh, ok". I can't even imagine being 8 years old and speaking in front of people. That's Tom. Calm, cool and collected.
In other news, Halloween was a success. Tom was a zombie, Peter was Spongebob. We went to a nearby town and walked in the Halloween parade (people in costume marching around the town square - gotta LOVE small towns!), then on to our town for trick or treating. The past 2 days Tom and Peter have spent their time loving the chickens. They were giving them baths (until Joe put a stop to that.....geez, they were bathing them in a bucket....) and creating a "care center". They carry the chickens around and have them named, even! Meanwhile, Joe and Will and I have spent our time getting the steers back into their rightful pasture. Yesterday, they got out 4 times.......ugh. We also moved big round bales of hay into the steers pasture and the calves pasture. Hopefully, that will keep them occupied for a bit. So, that's the update from SHF. Tomorrow, back to Missouri!

Headed North

2011-10-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

Load the car and write the note.
Grab your bag and grab your coat.
Tell the ones that need to know.
We are headed north
-Lyrics from "I and love and you" by The Avett Brothers

Yup. Bri and I headed north for the past few days. Wow! Amazing, wonderful, connecting, fun, and I could go on and on. We did some hiking, some shopping, some wine tasting, spent a bit of time at a local microbrew, cooked, hot tub-ed, laughed....wonderful. If you are headed north in WI, and you want to know where we stayed, I'll give you some info. I don't want to post it because I really don't want masses of people to stay there. It's ours! Not really, but it was super duper cool. A renovated barn (yes, Joe, we went on a vacation and stayed in a barn!). So special. Gpa came to stay with the boys and, funny, the steers only started getting out once we returned home.....ugh..... So now it's time to return to normal, whatever that is. Halloween and trick or treating tomorrow. Then we are to November. Holidays just around the corner. Hmmmmm....not sure yet how I feel about that one.
I think we currently have one boy going trick or treating as SpongeBob and one going as a zombie. Should be fun!

Life

2011-10-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

Life has been very tricky these last few weeks. I find myself moving from deep, deep grief to being okay in a moments time. I have to say, I don't feel very connected to what is happening. Just moving through. It's so strange to know that someone you have known your entire life is now gone, vanished, never to be heard from again.
I've been overwhelmed by the amazing out-pouring of love and support from my friends, people who have known me a long time and others who are mere acquaintances. Cards arrive every day. It's kind of amazing how friends can sometimes love and support you even more than people called family. Insight, loving kindness shared through the US Postal Service. I am humbled at the thoughtfulness.
But, as you know, life carries on. Especially with children, especially on a farm. Animals still need to be fed, or milked or shut up at night so no predator gets them. Children still need you to watch them turn cartwheels in the kitchen. Or need to be fed.
Life goes on. And, that's good. My mom would have said "okay, you're sad, now go do something". And that's what I'm doing.

For my Mama

2011-10-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Sadness

2011-10-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Right now, I am in the throes of sadness like none I have ever felt. On Friday, 9/30/11, my mother moved from this life to the next adventure. I know, I know, she was in pain, she was having tremendous difficulties (although, seemingly, not life-threatening), I know all that, so, please stop telling me that. Right now, I just don't know how I will live my life without her. She listened to me. To every minut, mundane detail of my life. She was truly interested in what we were doing, the activitis of the boys, what I cooked for lunch. I don't know how I'll live without 2 hour phone conversations with her (and those were short!). I'm so grateful that our last phone conversation she told me how sweet she thought I was and how much she loved my family. I wrote this blog mostly to keep her updated on what was happening since we lived 400 miles apart. For right now, I'm going to take a break from blogging unil I can sense anther purpose for it. I love you, Mom.

New Glarus - America's Little Switzerland

2011-09-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/travel/a-bit-of-switzerland-in-wisconsin.html?pagewanted=all

A couple of weeks ago, New Glarus was featured in the NY Times. How cool is that? We also heard that there will be an article in the Chicago Tribune soon.
I'll tell ya. I love this place. When we first moved out, I thought it was cute and quaint, touristy. Soon we will celebrate 8 years of living here and, I now know that it is so much more than that. The people of NG (some of them born and raised here, many "transplants" like us) are very serious about their town and their roots. This year Tom and Peter participated in Kinderchor (Swiss Children's Choir) so we encountered much more of the traditions than in years past. Seeing people dress in traditional clothes, sing songs with gusto in Swiss German, carry on traditions like Lanternenzug (lantern parade) and 74 years of performing the Wilhelm Tell play, is, touching and beautiful. The roots run deep, even if the folks aren't Swiss at all. The people of NG are committed to carrying on these traditions and teaching their children to carrying them on as well. And, of course, they like a good, rousing round of "Roll out the Barrel" and a good Ocktoberfest beer like Staghorn. As if I needed another reason not to move, I feel like this is right where I belong. There are a few more opportunities the year to enjoy this wonderful little town (population 2018) and you can find info here:
http://www.swisstown.com/festivals.shtml

Coming Home

2011-09-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

In the past 5 days I have had the great pleasure of attending 2 amazing, powerful, exhausting, wonderful births. As I gather my things to leave the new family, I get lots of hugs and thank yous and "we don't know how we would have done it without you"s. You know, the thing about it? I'm the one who feels thankful. Yes, I bring some skills and knowledge they might not have known, I am available to them, etc, etc. but, it really is my great honor to be asked to be present for such a life-altering moment in their lives. I read something the other day "it is amazing to stand by and watch women move mountains with themselves". Pretty much sums up the experience. I am there to bear witness. I am there to hold the space for this new family. I am there and for that, I am truly grateful.
Another things I'm really grateful for? Coming home again. Usually this means many, many hours or even a day after I left. Most of the time I leave in the middle of the night, having given instructions before bedtime on how the day can roll out when I'm gone ("okay, gma and gpa are around but don't bug them. Make ramen for lunch. Be kind to each other."). You wanna know what I'm met with when I come home? Bri coming out onto the deck as I pull in the driveway and (you are gonna love this) clapping as I get out of the car and wearily climb the steps. Yep, applauding all my hard work. How great is that? I'm also met by my 2 eldest with a "hi, mom, how are you? Wow, that was long, you must be so tired." Last night, after being with "my" couple for almost exactly 24 hours, I arrived home about 10:30pm. Bri on the deck. Joe and Will greeting me as I came in the door. Tom and Peter already asleep. This morning, after sleeping more soundly than I had in 5 weeks since going on call, Tom and Peter crawled into bed and snuggled up telling me how much they missed me and wanting to know all the details about the new baby. I thought about these 2 new families and how much joy and love is in store for them. And I smiled with gratitude for being a tiny part of their beginning.

Today's Weather brought to you by "Lovin' It"

2011-09-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

We're experience some unusually chilly weather here in the rolling hills of SW WI. Tonight the temps are supposed to dip down, down, down into the 30s. Although, my parents think it is always snowing here (only slightly kidding...), this is really quite unusual. The boys and I made the best of it and had hot cocoa for breakfast and did a bit more garden harvesting. Yes, I know we can leave potatoes and carrots in the ground (the carrots actually really like frost), we are losing sight of them because their green/brown tops are disappearing. I thought we'd better dig before we lose them entirely (to which the boys cried "you are going to make me hate potatoes after all this potato eating!"). So, today, we harvest about 50 more pounds of potatoes (bringing our estimated total poundage to around 400...), about 15 pounds of sweet potatoes (they actually need to be dug now as they hate cold temps), probably 10 pounds of peppers, a few more onions we found hiding amongst the weeds, 5 pounds of carrots, a few more zucchini, summer squash and patty pan squash. I think that's it. Oh, wait, except for the corn (Blue Hopi and popcorn!) which actually need to dry before harvesting. What a year!!

Today's agenda

2011-09-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

Gotta love the "old world" way of stomping it with your feet and the screaming cockatoo.

Peace Will Come

2011-09-11T17:24:00.000-07:00

An old old old performance still meaningful, especially on this day.

The Larder

2011-09-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

This year, our garden has been beyond belief. We worked really hard early on and kept the weeds back and that really did the trick. It also helped that the weather cooperated. This is what we have canned thus far:
84 quarts of potatoes
18 quarts of pickles
42 quarts of green beans
2 quarts of pickled asparagus (first time doing this)
6 quarts of milk (first time doing this)
67 quarts of tomatoes13 pints and 3 quarts of spaghetti sauce
10 pints of dilly beans2 quarts of pickled peppers
8 pints and 1 quart of beets
9 quarts of strawberry jam
5-1/2 pints, 6 pints and 2 quarts of peach butter
5 pints rhubarb chutney
2 quarts of sour pie cherries

And in the freezer:
10 quarts of sweet corn
5 quarts of peaches
6 gallons of strawberries
10 quarts of rhubarb
5 quarts of shredded zucchini

There are still some tomatoes, a few cukes, some large zucchini (for shredding), peppers, , cabbage (saurkraut), carrots and all the corn...and, 2 more rows of potatoes waiting to be dug. What a year! Now lovely darling garden, go to bed...

Makes me cry

2011-09-03T05:49:00.001-07:00

Passion

2011-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Catchy title, eh? You might be thinking I'm going to write about something risque. You'd be wrong. But, I am going to tell you something that, if you know us, you will NOT believe. Ready?
Well, first, I have to back up. When I was a child, I wanted pets. Lots and lots of pets. My mom, in particular, did not. The first real pet I remember was our dog, Penny. We loved her and dressed her up in our doll clothes (she was a toy poodle). We loved to watch her as she daintily walked down the driveway and onto the curb, never touching grass. The whole neighborhood loved her and were crushed when she was hit by a car. I was crushed the most. She was my friend. After Penny's death, I took on the tough job of trying to convince my parents to acquire more animals. After much begging and pleading, I got a hamster. Unfortunately, the hamster had some sort of hamster disease and promptly died within 3 days, which actually was quite a blessing because that meant he/she was still under "warranty" from the pet store. After, and I'm not even kidding, 8 more hamsters who continued to die, one by one, within the warranty period, my mom finally said enough is enough. We had a couple other dogs through my childhood and when I was in high school, "Peeper" came to live with us. Know what Peeper was? A duck. I was working at a pet store, it was Easter time, someone bought the duck and then didn't want it, I brought it home with me one night in the back of the car and Peeper came to live in the back yard. When I went to college, Peeper went to "live on a farm" (at least that's what they told me...). Okay, so all this to say, I LOVE animals. Absolutely love them. My mom likes to say that now that I live on a farm I'm acquiring all the animals I can possibly get because I didn't get enough when I was a kid. I think she might have something there.
So, on to my surprise. Now, if you really know us, you know we are dog people. Through and through. We adopted a cat once. Within 2 hours he bit Joe and we returned him, vowing to never do that again (honestly, it took us 2 weeks to get the pee smell out of our basement. Yes, only after 2 hours.....). I met a woman, she works with the Friends of Ferals program, she thought our farm would be perfect for cats, etc, etc. Guess who came to live with us today? Mama Cat (aka "Olivia" - I'm not callin' that cat Olivia) and Shadow (aka "Blossum" - Tom & Peter aren't callin' that cat Blossum). They came to us with a kitty condo and have to "acclimate" for about 4 weeks before we can release them and hope they stick around. We can't touch them and with Shadow, probably never will be able to. So we sit near them and say "hi, kitty" and make sure they have food and water. Joe and Will think this is absolutely the dumbest thing I've done to date. Oh well. They needed a home, we have a barn. It's perfect. I can't help it. I love animals. Thus ends the story of passion.

Still Here

2011-08-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

Just not in the blogging kind of mood, I guess. Not that there's nothing happening to blog about - turkey body-slamming us as we try to jump start the commuter car, Lucy (Truly's babe from last year) in the sheep pen, more harvesting and canning, 50 new chicks, etc, etc. I did finally make some mozzarella that worked really well! In the past, it's either been tough or not salty enough or just down right wrong. This time, great! Tonight's dinner - Lasagna!! Here's how to do it in case you want to try it for yourself:

2 gallon milk
2 1/2 tsp citric acid dissolved in 1/4 c cold water
Pour citric acid into milk and stir for at least 2 min. (citric acid makes it stringier)
Slowly heat milk to 88 degrees, stirring the entire time. Dissolve rennet (1/8 tsp or 1/2 tablet) in 1/4 c cold water. As soon as the milk hits 88, take it off the heat and add rennet. Stir for 15-20 seconds. Let it sit for 1/2 hour or until very firm. Cut the curd (long way then cross way) into about 1" cubes.
Let it sit for 5 min. Heat curds and whey to 108. Stir gently, you don't want to mix the whey back in. Once at 108, pull it off the heat. Let it sit for 20 min., stirring occasionally. Strain off the whey (can keep whey for other uses - biscuits, to feed pigs, etc). Let drain in a colander for 15 min. to get off all the whey. While you wait for the curds to drain, mix 1/2 c salt into 1/2 gallon water and bring to a boil. Cut it into 1 " cubes again and put in a bowl. Pour boiling salt water over curds. Lift the curds with wooden spoons over and over again watching the mozzarella come together and stretch. Do this about 10 min or until it's all clumped into a ball. Drain off all the hot water and work the ball like you would when kneading bread dough. Voila!!

Tonight

2011-08-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

It's only 10pm. I'm sitting here at the computer, listening to the cicadas. And the crickets. And Freddy the dog snoring. All my peeps (including my niece who's been here since Friday) are asleep. Chores are done. Chickens are closed up for the night. Peter and I watched a documentary on Flee Markets. He sat on my lap and rubbed my head. I love that. This day is done. We worked in the concession stand at the pool (have to for Swim Team purposes). Tomorrow - getting a flat tire off the lawn tractor and going to the library. Sadly, my niece will go home. What a wonderful life. Peace out.

This Weekend

2011-08-09T05:10:00.000-07:00

-canned more potatoes (we are now at 49 quarts and when I say "we", I really mean Bri. He's done the lions share of that work. What a man!)
-harvested 50 pounds of honey
-T & P performed at NG Volkfest (Swiss Independence Day) with Kinderchor. Super cool! I love that they do this sooooo much!!!
-hung out with my darling roomie from Grad School and her family. They were on vacay in WI and came to visit. Met us at Volkfest then on to eat at Glarner Stube then to our farm for a look-see. So wonderful.

Our computer is still on the fritz so no pics. Sorry.

Ugh....

2011-08-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

Almost 2 weeks with no working internet, 1 week with no working home phone, 5 days with no working refrigerator.......Our computer is still on the fritz, but Joe's is working. The repair man came and fixed the fridge. It's been challenging. I'll get back to posting more frequently now.

Last night we canned 10 quarts of tomatoes. Tonight we're canning potatoes. We dug 1/2 row (a HALF of a row) and got about 20 pounds. Know how many rows of potatoes we planted? 10!! The cucumbers are coming in and I made refrigerator pickles and have eaten 1/2 the jar already. We had zucchini and summer crookneck squash for lunch and Bri is dehydrating 100's of cherries tomatoes. It's that time of year! Finally paying off for all that work.

Ping Pong!

2011-07-24T16:14:00.000-07:00

What do you do with your kitchen table? We move out all the furniture and play ping pong!

Soap!!!

2011-07-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

I've decided that it's time to reintroduce the soap! Each 4.5 oz bar is $4 and I am selling it on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowerHillFarm?ref=pr_shop_more

The soap is very moisturizing because it has goat's milk in it and it is cold-processed which means the beneficial glycerine isn't removed. There are no yucky chemicals (Triclosan or parabens, both of which have been linked to cancer!).
We use coconut oil, olive oil and sunflower oil along with essential oils and herbs from the garden! It's a great gift for yourself or others. I will ship it if you are not local. It's wonderful, if I do say so myself!

How is it different?

2011-07-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

We're often asked how our meat is different from what you find in the grocery store. So, we thought we'd take a bit of time to answer that.

Humanely-Raised - This means that from the time the animal comes to our farm, either from purchase or birth, it is raised in a way that is respectful. Sometimes we scratch our heads and think "do we really have to talk about how our animals have access to fresh, clean water? Should ALL animals have that?" But, believe it or not, they don't. So, fresh, clean water and access ALL THE TIME. Beautiful, grassy, lush pastures and more acres than animals. Our farm is 75 acres big, so there is plenty of grass for them to munch, munch, munch till their hearts content. Our animals also have indoor and outside access any time they'd like it. They choose.
Grass-fed - That's just what that says. Grass is 99% of their diet. We learned early on that, left to their own devices, large mammals won't come to you when you call them unless you sweeten the pot. So, we give them a little "candy" treat of grain. This way, if we need them to follow us (say, when they have found an escape route to the neighbors cattle....), they will. They see us with a bucket calling "steer, steer, steer" and they'll follow us for miles (believe us, we know this to be true, since we've had to walk them for what seemed like miles....). Grass-fed means the animals eat what they were designed to eat. You see, bovine are ruminants, which means they have 4 stomachs. I remember when Joe and Will were little, they used to say they had 4 stomachs: a food stomach, a candy stomach, a snacks stomach and a dessert stomach. That's not exactly how it works for bovine, however. These 4 stomachs enable the animal to eat grass and convert it to protein. Amazing isn't it! They do this through a series of burps and rechewing. All that cud chewing really does serve a purpose. Sheep do this too. Anyway, because of this process, they get everything they need from grass. (Pigs are omnivores and therefore cannot do this. They need a protein source.) So, it's the perfect conditions for grass-fed. Feeding with corn in feedlots is something that came about when agriculture began to get bigger and bigger and bigger. You can plant acres of Roundup Ready feed corn, never have to weed it (because of the Roundup), harvest and store it in silos. The animals stand in very small areas and get their rations of corn. Do you know that most dairy cows have never touched grass with their feet? They stand in "free stalls" (ironic name, isn't it....) and stick their heads through stanchions when their grain comes....ugh......

Okay, back to what we do. Grass. Grass is the basis of this operation. We do have an alfalfa field that we cut, rake, bale and stack and this is what the animals eat in the winter.

Time

2011-07-06T05:04:00.000-07:00

There is a lot about farming that is routine. Daily chores, daily milking, daily weeding, daily watering, you get the idea. You schedule your life to take care of these things. I don't even attempt to get any place before about 10am, if I can help it. If I do have to be someplace that "early" (quiet, Brian), then I rearrange the chore schedule. I either get up earlier or I forgo milking for that morning and leave Truly with here baby.
There is, however, much about farming that "NOW IS THE TIME YOU MUST DO IT NOW AND NOTHING ELSE CAN HAPPEN UNTIL IT IS FINISHED". Hay, for example. When the hay is tall enough, and just beginning to flower AND you look at the weather and see a stretch of at least 4 days of no rain AND the farmer you employ to cut said hay is available, you stop everything else and do it (unless you are having an excessive inner ear fluid episode and the world is spinning out of control. Then just you go to bed and the rest of the family picks up the slack and does the haying. Thank you, guys!)
Harvest is another one of those times. For us, this means canning, freezing, dehydrating, preserving will sometimes trump any other activity (well, mostly). So, right now it's peach season. We can't really grow great, juicy Georgia peaches here in WI, so we buy peaches from the Georgia guys who drive up here every year to deliver. When these peaches come, it's time to snap into action. No matter you just finished putting up hay. No matter last week was strawberry season and you just finished preserving strawberries. No matter you are just getting over the world spinning out of control. No matter you are tired. It's time. These peaches will not last forever. Just think how delicious it all is in the middle of winter.

Bud Lucky

2011-06-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

These are pictures from the fleece of Bud Lucky, one of our sheep. This past fall, we made a decision to sell some of the sheep. Basically, the guy who came asked if he could buy them all. We had been thinking about starting anew with sheep, so it all worked. He didn't, however, want the ram or the wether (castrated male). Another guy wanted the ram but, again, not the wether. Poor Bud Lucky (if you want to know how he got his name, watch "Boundin'", the short before the movie "The Incredibles"). People didn't want him because he wasn't a girl and wasn't an intact male. They saw him as "useless" eventhough I kept telling them that he has the best wool on our farm. These guys weren't into hand-spinning so that made no difference. So, we decided to keep Bud. He moved in with the steers. This winter we acquired 2 bottle ram lambs from a friend. The mama was having udder troubles. Now, Bud lives with Morticcai and Rigby (and let me tell ya, I can't WAIT to get my hands on thier fleeces!).
So, anyway. Here are pics of Bud Lucky's fleece. The first picture is his entire fleece after 1 year of growth. It's so large I can't wash it all at one time! The next 2 pictures are close ups of the wool. The crimp is amazing! The staple (length) is 6-8" and it is sooooo soft! I'm so glad Bud is still here. And I can't wait to knit up a hat and scarf with his wool.

Aprons

2011-06-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

(photo by Thomas Bubenzer)

I love to wear aprons. This is one I found at a really funky St. Vinnie's in Shullsburg. I understand aprons. They work for me. Protect my clothes, multiple uses, VERY fashionable. Here's a poem I found in honor of the apron. Enjoy!

Grandma's Apron
I don't think our kids know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears…
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men-folk knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.
REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.
Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.
I never caught anything from an apron…But Love. (Author Unknown)

N-n-n-n-19-19

2011-06-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today, marked a very special day in the Bubenzer household. Today, 19 years ago, Bri and I got hitched. I don't remember much from the wedding day, it was surreal and quite the blur. I remember that I "designed" my dress and the bride's maids dresses. I remember that Bri's tux coat was at least 4 sizes too big and they had to pin it in place. I remember the reception food being awful. I remember being so very excited. I remember Bri calling me in the morning and singing (I am not making this up) "I'm getting married in the morning. Ding dong the bells are gonna chime." We got married. 19 years ago. I keep saying that that is really quite strange since I'm only 30 years old. Guess I was a child bride of 11 when I was married.
Really, though, these have been 19 amazing, wonderful, awesome years. We have worked through all kinds of things: dissertation, miscarriages, job changes, moves (11 to be exact....), no money, more money. We have traveled all over this great country, camping, in tents and then finally a popup. We moved to a farm where we continue to shake our heads in astonishment. We have 4 amazing sons and we sit back in wonder as they grow into men.
On that day, 19 years ago, I never could have imagined what was in store. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man, that I knew for sure. What a journey it has been and what a brilliant road lies ahead. Happy Anniversary, darling Brian!

Milk Maid Part II

2011-06-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, well, that worked! Yowza!!! Early was hollerin' as I walked out to the barn. Here's a little side note for all the breastfeeding mamas who are upset with me right now. (1) Please know that I am a HUGE breastfeeding advocate. 4 nursings sons = many, many years of nursing bras and breast pads. (2) Early is 3 months old, which is like 5 years in cow years (cows can be bred at about 10-12 months, just to put it in perspective), (3) Early had plenty of water and hay all through the night and her mama was right near by, (4) As soon as I was finished milking, I released her to her mama. Mama's udder was still very, very full. (5) Most commercial dairy operations take the baby away at birth, never ever allowing the baby to nurse (I guess it makes it more difficult for both mom and baby if they "accidentally" nurse). We never completely take the babies away. We share. We take a little, baby gets most. Mama decides when it's time to wean all of us. This helps in so many ways. We've never (knock on wood) had a problem with mastitis because the baby comes in and completes the process and we don't have to worry about "milking her out". It's a win, win.

So, I think today will include a Rhubarb Strawberry Pie with some fresh whipped cream on top!

Milk Maid

2011-06-19T04:41:00.000-07:00

I've had a tiny bit of a break from milking. Early, the baby, is growing and growing and taking all the milk (go figure!). For 5 days I have said "we really need to build a pen for Early". But I didn't. You know why? I was really liking the break! It's not that it's that much work. It's just one more thing. Well, yesterday, Joe and Will and I built a pen (among other really awful tasks in the barn like cleaning out the steers water trough - bleck....I once read that steers produce more methane from their mouths by chewing their cud than their rears.....bleck.) So, here I am 6:30am on Sunday morning thinking "what was I thinking".....it's time to go milk. I bet Truly is full!

Busy, busy, busy

2011-06-16T06:46:00.000-07:00

Gosh, life is busy. We have many, many activities going on especially at the beginning of the week. We put up our 1st cutting of hay last week when we had a strange snap of 100 degree temps - not fun. We've worked a ton in the garden. The boys have had swim team, Kinderchor, guitar lessons, jamming with their friend, a trip to APT, a wingding to Freeport, homeschool gym classes, library trips, and the list goes on and on. Bri has worked, I have taught and met with doula clients. Life is busy! I think things will settle down a bit this weekend. And when it does, I'll post some pics.

I guess Summer is here

2011-06-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

Today was filled with at least 47 activities. Really, here is how it went: J&W work from 8-12, pick up then go to Monroe and deliver bikes to the repair shoppe (I added the "pe" for effect!). Homeschool gym from 1-3 BUT WAIT, J&W guitar lessons from 2:30-3:30. Swim Team 1st practice at 4 then race home, throw some food down our gullets, yes "gullets" and head off to Kinderchor (read: younger kids singing Swiss songs - sooooo cute). 7:30 - J&W bowl with friends on the Monday night Threesomes.
That was the running around part. In between there was weeding and planting (136 tomato plants) and watering and chores and steers out (again....) and more watering because it's 94 degrees (come on, it's Wisconsin....). And you know what I get to do tomorrow? No, not a mani and a pedi. No not lounging poolside and reading a trashy novel. I get to, get this......RAKE THE HAY! Now, listen people, I have never done this before. Bri has given me instructions which I have written on a 4 x 6 notecard (not kidding). This is one job in the haying process I have never done and TOMORROW'S THE DAY!!! Pinch me.

What a week!

2011-06-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for no posting. It's been a very busy week. The most exciting - I attended a birth! Awesome, long, amazing mama, beautiful baby, so honored to have been witness.

All the guys held down the fort and did chores and took care of each other

Otherwise, we're just trying to get things going around here. Seems like we went from winter to summer (today it's 86 degrees INSIDE the house....). We've been planting and weeding in the garden, planting our "deck pots", washing a fleece, sweating a lot, hanging clothes on the line, sweating, eating fruit, waiting for the pool to open (tomorrow!!!), watering everything - plants and animals, etc. It's all good.

Doula Work

2011-05-25T04:45:00.000-07:00

Approximately, 5.7 minutes after Joe was born, I knew that not only had my life changed by becoming a mother, my goal for my life's work had changed, too. It was an amazing feeling to finally realize what I wanted to be when I grew up (at 29 1/2 years old)! I started on my path to certification as a Childbirth Educator. Then, when Will was 3 months old, we all loaded into the van for me to attend a Doula Training in Atlanta, GA. After Tom's birth, I took him to a training to become a Lactation Counselor. Birth had forever changed me.
Well, after a 10 year hiatus, I have restarted my doula practice. What is a doula you might ask? Well, a doula is defined in Greek as "a woman who serves". The word has now come to mean, a woman (and in a very few cases, a man) who serves another woman/couple/family during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. As a doula, I visit with moms/couples a couple of times prior to the birth, attend their entire birth and then visit a couple of times during the postpartum time.
So, for the past 3 days, I have been attending a Doula Workshop in WI. I felt after this long of a hiatus, I should brush up a bit. I can't say that I've learned anything new but, it has solidified my need to do this kind of work. I realize my strengths and what I bring that is unique. So, if you are reading this, pregnant or plan on getting pregnant, live nearer to me, and are looking for a doula, hey, give me a call! Here's a link to doulas in the Madison area and to my listing:
www.wisconsindoulas.net

How the farm got it's name

2011-05-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

When we first moved out here (November 2003), we dreamed of what we would do with the land once winter has loosened her hold. We knew we would have a large garden. We knew we would have chickens. Never did we imagine what would one day become Sunflower Hill Farm.
Spring came and so did a little baby named Peter. I was pretty tied up with the baby and managed to do some gardening but not much. Once summer day, Bri took me out to our garden area (what would the next year become our hay field) to show me a surprise. He had planted an acre in sunflowers, get this, in a LABYRINTH. Can you even believe this guy? If you know me at all, you probably know that labyrinths are pretty darn significant to me. It was amazing! The garden is on a hill behind our house, so the name was a natural fit, Sunflower Hill Farm.
Since we had to "take" much of that area to grow hay to feed the animals all winter, we now have a long strip of land right next to the road that we plant in sunflowers. So, if ever you are driving up the hill to our house, you'll see the hill of sunflowers that leads to our house.
I tilled that strip today. Should have another sunflower hill in a couple of months!

Take a look!!

2011-05-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend cousins, Caleb and Allyson Loper, came up from IN for a visit and to install our new farm sign. Allyson designed and welded the sign. Caleb did much of the installation work today. Isn't it cool?
Allyson used found parts from a variety of sources - cars, tanks, tractors. She and her dad welded and worked and, evidentally sang!
We absolutely LOVE it and are so impressed with all the hardwork. What a wonderful addition to our farm!!

Moving on

2011-05-11T04:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was, well let's just say, challenging. There are lots of other adjectives I would use to describe it, but I'm trying to keep this blog at a G rating so that entire families can enjoy the debaucle.
Yesterday's events included:

driving a total of 287 miles, half of that with 2 - 3 pound boxes of bees (at least I didn't get lost or stung)
getting back in the car and driving to go and get signs that have been ready for a week but on 3 different occasions to Monroe, I forgot to get them. (at least Joe and Will were at home and could do some of the things I was supposed to be doing)
steers busting through a fence(at least they were easy to get back into their rightful place)
the temp in southern WI going from "coat wearing" to "oh, man, why isn't the pool open"
coming home completely exhausted and sobbing in the shower

I tell ya, sometimes it gets pretty dramatic around here. It's interesting. No one really said anything to me, just let me cry and shower and then one by one all the men in my life came and gave me a hug. How wonderful is that?
So, here it is a new day. In fact, it's Survivor Day (we have watched every season since the beginning and still love it). Today's activities:

chores and milking
delivering meals (normally we do this on Thurs but they need us today)
installing the bees
watching Survivor
watching my hair become more and more flat and straight with the sudden increase in humidity
NOT sobbing
more hugs from my men

That sounds like a better one.

Thoughts on Mother's Day

2011-05-08T05:22:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day. In fact, it's already started off with a bang for me. Bri did the milking and Joe and Will did the chores!! They drew a card for me and have made some delicious looking sweet rolls. Wonderful!
Today, I'm thinking about what Mother's Day means to me. I knew as a little, little girl that I wanted to be a mother. I played with dolls a lot and envisioned a home and a bunch of children. I babysat a lot and played with kids a lot. I was destined to be a mother. Of course, it took me a while to get there. I had a lot of living to do before making that leap. After Bri and I married, I knew that I wanted to wait a while so we could have some fun, just us before we added another family member. By 28, I was desperate. It was heartbreaking to live through the first miscarriage. We were ready and for some reason, it seemed my body wasn't. That was short-lived, however, when a month later I was pregnant again. This time it worked and we welcomed Joseph Dean to our world just a few months before I turned 29. William was just 2 years later (with another devastating miscarriage in between - this becomes an unfortunate pattern). I loved being the mommy of these 2 rambunctious boys, but I knew I wasn't finished! 4 years later, Thomas and then just 14 months later, Peter, joined the circus! Now this felt like a bunch of kids. It is wild and wonderful and such fun to live this life with my darling husband, Brian.
I love being a mom. It's wonderful and difficult. I am learning so much as these boys get bigger and are spreading their wings.
I think about the women who nurtured me along my journey: my mom, my grandmother, Bri's mom. I am so grateful to these strong women who have loved me through the joys and the crabbiness, the highs and lows of my motherhood journey. I remember one time as I held one of my babies in my arms, saying to my mom, "This is how much you love ME?" She nodded and smiled. I finally understood. It's a wonderful life and I am so grateful to have this mothering experience. Happy Mother's Day!

Gratituesday - Verona Farmer's Market

2011-05-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today, we had a meeting for the Verona Farmer's Market. The actual market begins next Tuesday from 3-7pm at Hometown Junction in Verona, WI. It's such a cool little market. A good variety of vendors carrying everything from berries to honey to pastured meats (us!) to handmade items to pizza (LaFortuna) to veggies and on and on. The coolest part are the people. It's so much fun to be there with friends and spend the time chatting and laughing. The kids run around and play and the rest of us talk to customers, sell things and enjoy each others company. I'm really looking forward to the market again this year! Come on over and see us!!

Good Bye, Dear Guy

2011-05-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend we lost a friend. We lost our darling, Golden Commodity, aka "Goldbug". We acquired him in 2006, after I attend a shearing class and told another attendant that I needed a llama for protection for our sheep. He said he had one and Goldbug came to live with us. At the tie, Goldbug was about 12 years old. Goldbug was a sweet fella who loved apples and would cry when we put the lambs and their mamas into jugs. He was their protector and took his job very seriously. I have cried quite a bit about this guy's passing. He was a constant fixture in the barn, especially when grain was being distributed. I will miss you, darling boy. I'm so glad I have some of your wool so that I can blend it and make a hat. May you rest in peace.

The BIG 13!!!!

2011-04-29T04:36:00.000-07:00

This pic was taken last year at the county fair. Will is the boy in the black "Spam" shirt with a fried cheese curd hanging out of his mouth.

Today, we celebrate another Bubenzer boy birthday - William Valen!! So, yes, you are subjected to another mini-story about the birth!
It was almost immediately after Joe was born, I knew I HAD to have another baby. I wanted to experience that amazing event again. I wanted to hold an nurse another new born baby. Unfortunately, we easily get pregnant but don't always stay pregnant and we suffered another miscarriage. Devastating.
But, in fairly short order, pregnant again, we prepared for another child. We talked and talked to Joe about the baby and becoming a big brother. We readied our home and our hearts. As is the way with me, this baby, too, was late. (Side note: I have recently found out that cow pregnant with bulls are on time or a bit late, too.) I had an appointment and after doing a non-stress test, they decided that in fact, I was contracting and they were noticing some strange things with the baby's heartbeat. The directive was given to go home, get our things and go to the hospital. So, we came home, kissed Joe goodbye and cried a little, knowing that his life would never be the same.
A very strange labor ensued (note: some of this might be Greek to some of you. Bear with me. I have to tell the stories at least once a year!), 5 cm for about 12 hours, pitocin (after putting the staff off for about 12 hours), complete to pushing in about 5 minutes, big dips in heartrate, 2 big pushes and voila! The really cool thing about this labor was that I stuck to my guns and what I knew - I could do this. Yes, it was slower than usual, yes, I was frustrated to be at 5cm for that long, but in my heart, I knew and trusted that my body could do this. I had to say, "I'm not ready for that" over and over after being encouraged to do something medical. One of the greatest moments: I was on my side pushing, the Resident, who clearly had not been trained to catch a baby with a woman on her side kept saying "mam, can you please get on your back. Mam, please." I ignored him. I pushed right where I was! It was after Will's birth that we knew we had to have a different team gathered. Tom and Peter were both born into the hands of midwives.
Anywhooo - So, after those 2 big pushes, into our arms came William Valen Bubenzer. Darling, William! Immediately, we noticed the amazing dimples on his cheeks. We were thrilled. After a few hours, Gma and Gpa B came with Joe in tow. After all those months of preparation, Joe (who was 26 months old) came into the room and said "where did you get that little baby?" It was a thrill to see them introduced to each other.
Will has now grown into a wonderful 13 year old. I'll tell ya, he is one of the funniest people I know. He has such a way of seeing things. He's creative and artistic, constantly writing and drawing and can pick up any instrument and play a tune (not even kidding). He has been waiting for this day. You know why? Because he can finally have a Facebook page!!!!!! He told us that the first page he was going to friend on FB was "Let's Eat, Grandma or Let's Eat Grandma. Punctuation Saves Lives."
Happy, Happy Birthday Darling, Will.

Never a dull moment

2011-04-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

You can see in the header that Peter (on the left) and Tom are holding lambs. They are holding 2 new additions to SHF. Yes, we sold the sheep in the fall. Yes, I knew we weren't going to go for long without sheep. I have missed them soooooo much. These 2 guys had a mommy who couldn't nurse so they came to us. Yes, bottle babies. Yes, we have to feed them every 4 hours. Yes, it's a pain. Yes, they are cute which offsets the pain.

This was Peter's birthday. He, Tom, Freddy the dog and I took a walk up the road to Hefty Creek. They spent quite a bit of time playing under the bridge and LOVED it! It's really cool up there.

Today, Tom's beekeeping equipment arrived! Now, we just need the bees. Aren't they cute little beekeepers?

This is what comes in the beginning beekeeping kit from Dadant. Tom's suit was extra (but after the 1st year of me not having a suit, I learned that lesson. Get the suit!). We have to put it together, paint the outside and getter out there. Now, if it would stop snowing by the 4th of July, we'd be set....!

Happy 7th Birthday, Mr. Peter!!!

2011-04-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken by Brian, hence why he is not in the picture. Peter in the little one in the front making the funny face. He's a Drama Queen. Wonder where he gets that...

On this day, 7 years ago, we welcomed our 4th boy into our family. I was pretty sure Bri wasn't going to be convinced to have 6 (I have this thing about wanting to have an even number of children), so I knew that this would be my last visit to laborland. All our boys were overdue, some more than others (Tom.....2 weeks......ugh.....). Peter was due on 4/24/04, which I thought had a nice ring to it, but knowing what I know, I wasn't attached to that date. Of course, 4/24 came and went with no baby appearing. To distract ourselves and because my parents were here to take care of the other 3 (remember, Tom was 14 months old at the time....), Bri and I both went to work. We had a midwife visit that afternoon, so we'd be in Madison anyway. After visiting the midwives and learning that our most favorite , Ann, was the one working, we happily headed home. Even though I was, for all intents and purposes, in labor (running the vein of TMI, I was 6cm!), I wanted to put tuck the boys in bed, especially Tom who was such a little baby at the time. Got home, did some bed-time hugging, came down the stairs and fell onto the back of the recliner with contractions. I remember Joe rubbing my back and saying to my mom "she's have a contraction". Sweet boy.
Anyway, with my mom in tow and Bri's mom meeting us at Meriter, we made the drive back to Madison. I will never forget the beauty of that drive. The rolling hills of southern WI were literally golden as the sun was making it's way toward the other side of the earth. I was doing my thang in the back seat, breathing, moaning, embracing, while Bri kept one hand on the wheel and held my hand with the other. I clued into the fact that my mom was pretty freaked out because she kept asking Bri if we should call for a police escort. We had been down this path before and knew all was well.
Got to Meriter, checked in to triage, told the nurse to "get me in a room", labored blissfully. Yes, I said blissfully. This birth was very different. Spiritual. Powerful. Amazing. They were all amazing, but this one was different. I embraced it. Actually, I reveled in it. I thought over and over in my mind "bring it on! You are not stronger than me!" Powerful stuff. Anyway, after about 45 minutes, this baby born was born into the loving hands of our favorite midwife. It took us a while to name him. We talked about George, Henry, Peter. Bri left it up to me and I settled on Peter (Bri's name is Brian Peter and Brian's grandfather's name was Ernest).
Peter Ernest. This guy has been a force in our lives ever since that amazing day. He knows what he wants and usually gets it. He is a born leader and can even be found directing adults. He tells me how much he loves me and that "he couldn't ask for a more wonderful mother" and, on a dime, can be so mad at me he could spit nails.
He loves his family. He loves playing with Tom. He loves insects. He loves to snuggle.
Happy, happy birthday, 7 year old, Peter!!!

Bad Blogger

2011-04-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay. I know I've left you hangin'. I didn't post "pics tomorrow" like I said I would. I didn't post a "Gratituesday". I haven't posted in several days. I have no excuse. Laziness, I guess. Bri says that on one of his most favorite blogs, the guy posts 3 times a day. I don't think I can keep up with that. I mean, what would I say. Milked again. Broke up a spat between Tom and Peter. Looked out at the rain/sleet/snain/hail/cold. Boring......
But, I can post more often. It is my Easter resolution - I will blog more often, but right now, I have to go watch The Ten Commandments. It's a tradition around here. 4 hours of Charleton Heston. A throwback to my childhood. I remember watching it every Easter season. At the time, I sucked my thumb. I remember that it was so long and there was so much thumb sucking that my teeth literally hurt. It was bliss!
I promise, dear readers, that tomorrow, I will begin a more regular posting commitment. Thanks for hangin' in there. Happy Easter!

Introducing - Early!

2011-04-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

I was later than normal this morning in doing chores. Joe started back to work today and I had to take him at 8:15 so, I decided to do chores after I took him to work. I came home, Tom and Peter ran inside from the barn shouting "Truly had her baby!". "What???" I cried and ran to the barn. Darn, how could she do it without me? I walked into the barn and there stood the calf, nursing, cleaned, dry, even bounding. What a surprise! Truly was due on 4/22 and has been exactly on the due date for the last 2 years, so this really was a surprise.
All was well until late this afternoon, when once again, Truly had milk fever. As I understand it, all the calcium in the cows body goes to make the milk and leaves the rest of her body. This results cold ears, hard poop, heavy breathing from the stomach, dilated pupils and walking as if she is drunk. Both Bri and I thought this might happen (she had it last year) and I called the vet this morning to ask about something preventative. He told me to continue to watch her and call if I needed him. I called him about 5pm and he arrived around 5:30pm. After an IV of calcium to the jugular, all is well with our girl and her new baby. We have decided to name her "Early". I'll post pics tomorrow!

Gratituesday - Shutting up

2011-04-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today started a bit differently than I had hoped. I had my 5 minutes with Bri, my cup of coffee, my email check, my quiet time. Then headed to the barn for morning chores. Although I would really like to stay snuggled in my bed, I really do like morning chores. There is something magical about shaking off the night and greeting the day with the lowing of calves (okay, more like hollering for milk!) and the snorts of pigs and the first gobbling of the turkey. Freddy and I have our routine and it really is a beautiful time of day.
I approached the big barn door and saw....a flood. A literal flood. The water had been left on all night. There is always a transition from winter to spring because in the winter, you have to actually hold the hose to fill tanks. The hose we use is short so it is easier to drain (read: not freeze). In the spring, we attach a much longer hose and you can just hang it and let'er fill. This always happens in the spring. You get busy with chores and, because there is no more hose draining that has to be done, you forget. I've done it (once, not that I'm keeping score or anything). This time it wasn't me. Immediately, I burst into tears (I'm very tired....). I turned the water off and sobbed the entire....time...I.....did.....the.....chores. I know, I know. A bit, shall we say, overly dramatic.
Once chores were finished, I came inside and instead of doing my usual thing (scream to the boys to get up and then proceed to scream about the water, all the while acting as if this is something I have NEVER done.....liar), instead of doing this, I called Bri. And I sobbed some more. He talked, I listened. Let me repeat that. He talked, I listened. (This is where the Gratituesday comes in, see you knew I'd get there eventually.) He told me to take some deep breaths (I did). He told me it was okay and that by this afternoon the water will have absorbed into the ground (it has). He told me we've all done it (we have). It helped so much (except for the one and only time he told me to relax.....note to people out there: please don't tell me to relax, especially when I'm stressed. It makes me want to hit you.)
Now this is where it gets really good. I called the boys down, in an okay fashion (not screaming). I said "guys, you left the water running in the barn all night last night". They saw my tear-stained face, dropped their heads and said "oh no, I'm sorry" and that was the end of it. I SHUT UP. I didn't go on and on. I didn't act like they are the only idiots in the whole world who could possibly make such a stupid mistake. I just said "okay" and moved on. This is a big step. You see, I'm a yeller. I came from a family of yellers (love'em to death, but we're yellers), I come by it honestly. It's something I do without thinking. It's something I really hate afterward. So, this was HUGE. It turned the day around for the most part. I didn't yell (too much) when Tom locked Peter in the horse trailer or when Peter threw a book at Tom's face or when Joe and Will complained about having to hang their clothes on the line to dry or when Peter cut his finger with a knife he wasn't supposed to be touching (yes, this all happened today....). It was a first step in the right direction. Namaste.

Happenings

2011-04-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a busy weekend. On Friday night, Tom and Peter tested and received their yellow belts in Karate! They are chomping at the bit to get back to Karate on Tuesday evening.

Yesterday was windy and cooler, until it heated up in the afternoon. The perfect day to muck out the barn! We rented the bobcat again and got'er done! The barn is a much nicer place when it's cleaned out. Everyone worked hard, didn't complain or fight, and enjoyed driving the bobcat. Today we went to church, had lunch, made wallows for pigs (one of Bri's most fave activities on a warm, warm spring day), planted chard, spinach, lettuce, radishes, salad turnips. I'm planning on doing some more seed starting later on. Yesterday I started the paste tomatoes (if they all germinate, we'll have about 150 paste tomato plants. I think that might do us. I still have to start the slicing tomatoes!

Inspiration

2011-04-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, people, upon finding out about us and our farm, ask a lot of questions, smile a lot, and say things like "gosh, that's my dream life" or something to that effect. When this happens, I smile a lot, "strut my feathers" and glow with pride about our accomplishments. When this happens, and most of the other time, I am so thrilled to be here. I revel in the work. I love interacting with the animals and knowing them and knowing that they know me. Going out to the barn and the pastures, watching the changing skies, seeing the animals come running, seeing Truly the cow grow big beyond belief with baby, all of these things help me to know that I am right where I want to be.
However.....
When one is standing with one's son, hanging clothes on the line, watching the changing skies and listening to the birds call to each other. And one hears another one of one's sons say something like "uhhhh.....there's a pig" and then seeing said pig near the clothes line, very, very far from where pig normally resides. And then with sticks and four sons in tow, one chases not one but three pigs all over creation, trying every possible trick in the book, including ~~screaming at each other~~ mostly me screaming to be honest (which, by the way, NEVER works - when will we I learn???) and then finally returning these lovable, smart, creative creatures to their area.........it's not that damn much fun!
So, it's times like these when I feel the need for some inspiration. I've posted this before, but I know that if I had a chance to sit down and talk with this guy, he would laugh and smile and tell me, "it's a wonderful life even when chasing pigs".

Gratituesday - The Right to Vote

2011-04-05T05:02:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special day. Today, I will drive to my local polling place and cast my vote. No one will try to stop me. No one will "ink" my finger. No one will tell me for whom I should vote. It's not difficult. You don't have to worry about gunshots or bullies or proving you are who you say you are (well, for the moment......). In the last WI election, there was less than a 50% turn out....for the Governor's race.... Are you kidding me? Half of the state (who were eligible to vote) didn't?.........Come on.
If you need help in finding your polling place, go here Go Vote, Go Vote, Go Vote!!!!

Congratulations to Tom!!

2011-03-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today Tom received very exciting news. He has been granted a SARE grant!!!! He decided he wanted to propose a grant idea. SARE stands for Sustainable, Agriculture, Research and Education and is a national organization. Tom decided that his focus would be honeybees. His grant is titled: "Sharing the Buzz: Beekeeping and Plants to Attract Them". His grant consists of getting his own bees, hive, supers, suit, hat and veil, raising the bees, watching and reading about plants the bees like best, purchasing seeds for those plants, repackaging the seeds, talking to others about what he has learned and sharing the seeds for others to plant in their backyards. All the costs he will incur will be covered through the grant.
I wish you could have seen his face when I read the award letter to him. He is so excited and so are we!

Gratituesday - Being Unusual

2011-03-29T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while, but here I am, writing another Gratituesday post. Things are going well. Bri is healing. We are going to see a performance at Overture Center tomorrow (Momix Dance). The weather is warmer-ish. We have baby pigs, baby chicks, baby calves. It's all good.

Above is a pic of what I've decided I want for my birthday. I know, I know. Who wants worms for their birthday? That leads me to my thought on Gratituesday. I know, I'm unusual. I guess I've always been unusual, but as an adult, I can now fully embrace my unusual-ness.
I fantasize about having a super big, well-tended garden and putting up ALL of our food for a year. I dream of more shelves in the root cellar. And I've even checked into the codes on an outdoor bathroom (outhouses are illegal in Green Co, btw).
I do love to be able to jump in our van and drive to see friends. I do really love my flushing/indoor plumbing (although an outdoor shower REALLY does appeal and I hope to create one this summer). I love our highspeed internet that allows me to connect with places like Uncle Jim's Worm Farm.
Other women might dream of diamonds and such. Me, I dream of 2000 red wigglers for my birthday.

It's alive!

2011-03-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

Brian here - just wanted to check in and say thanks to all the family and friends who have been offering their best wishes following the knee surgery. I'm doing well, at least according to the physical therapists, although I wonder if they say that to all their rehab patients. I feel a bit like a toddler who has figured out how to make his babysitter laugh: "Look at you, big boy, wiggling your foot from side to side! Your knee is SOOOOOO flexible! SOOOOOO flexible! Whoooo's getting limber? YOU ARE!"

In any event, we take our victories wherever we find them, even if a victory doesn't amount to much more than a foot wiggle, and we lean on family and friends to get us through. I so appreciate Jodi and the boys for all they have done and continue to do for me, and say thanks to so many of you who have lent so much support in so many ways. I'll be turning cartwheels in no time, and just think what the therapists will say when they see that!

Brian

Spring has sprung!

2011-03-20T02:28:00.000-07:00

Finally! This winter has seemed particularly long to me.
I'm a busy person. I have a lot of interests. Some might even say, too many. I am a person who is easily, I don't know, bored, I guess. Bri says this is interesting considering we'll be married 19 years in June.
When I don't have a lot to do, I don't do a lot. Winter is kinda hard for me in that respect. There are always projects and such, but when confronted with 1 job and 10 hours to do it in.....it may not even get done.
Spring is my kind of season. You literally wake up and hit the ground running. There are a million things to do and ONLY 10 hours to accomplish them. When I drove Joe and Will to their friend's bday party sleep-over, I sat down for the first time that day. I even ate standing or just carried the last of my piece of egg bake with me as I ran out the door.
Here are a couple highlights:
-In addition to Bri's surgery on Monday, we also received our first batch of chicks. We're trying a new kind, Freedom Rangers. These meat birds are supposed to grow a little more slowly (so they won't have the leg issues) but still be finished at a good weight in about 9 weeks (vs. 6 for the Cornish Xs). They are also supposed to actually forage, instead of just sitting until the food is poured in front of them. We'll see. They have some very interesting markings, which almost Cleopatra type looking eyeliner.
-We got SIX new calves! Man, are they cute! Thanks to the help of Bro Nathan and Sis Mary, we were able to bring them home today. Bri did ride with us in the truck. It was a beautiful day to visit our Farmer Neighbor Dan.
-I organized our seeds for the year. A shoebox of food. It's so exciting to me, the possibilities. I'm going to start seeds today. This is a little bit later for me to start some things but I'm experimenting. I typically start onions, leeks, shallots, celery in Feb but they do get pretty leggy, so we'll see how this time compares.
-We received a wonderful visit from our great friends, the Huntleys (www.wisconsinpottery.com). They brought food and helped bottle feeding the calves. It was just what we all needed.
-I collapsed into bed.
Happy First Day of Spring! And Spring is even welcomed with that amazing moon!

Here he is!!!

2011-03-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well, here he is. All laid up. Recovering. Crutches, a super cool kryo-knee brace thingee, Mango Mango Tea, "Ted" stockings, no slip socks and a fleece to prop him up! He's doing really, really well. Should be able to muck out the barn very, very soon! (Notice the 2 toned walls. I didn't get the painting completely finished. Close, but no cigar. Ah, well, some things have to wait.)

And now the work begins

2011-03-15T09:10:00.001-07:00

Many of you have already heard, but just in case, Bri's knee replacement went "exactly as planned" according to his DR. I think he'll be home tomorrow.

Gratituesday - Stupidity

2011-03-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

I know, strange to be grateful for something like being stupid but....

Here are a few examples of what I mean:
-stupidity: Yes, I want a milking cow! That would be so cool to walk out to the barn and milk her and then have fresh milk, cream, butter, cheese, ice cream, etc! realism: Going out to the barn EVERYDAY, TWICE A DAY and then literally being over run by milk. Now, at this point in the year, she hasn't calved yet, so I'm really excited to relive the "stupidity" again. Real soon.
another example:
-stupidity: I want to grow all of our own food! I know we can't grow coffee beans or harvest salt but besides that, let's do it!!! realism: Weed, weeds and more weeds. Lots of work. Again, at this point in the year, I feel a bit of spring in the air and I can't wait to get out there again! Real soon.
another example:
-stupidity: Bri is going to have a knee replacement on Monday 3/14. I'm going to repaint our bedroom so he'll have something wonderful to look at while he's confined. realism: Painting, ugh. Moving furniture, ugh. Paint all over, ugh. Cleaning brushes and rollers, ugh. TWO COATS, double ugh. I can honestly say, this is a large piece of crazy pie I hope to not consume again in the near future. Now, back at it. The surgery is only 6 days away.....

He's Caught Up Again!

2011-03-07T07:02:00.000-08:00

Today is the birthday of my darling man, Brian. We are now the same age until May when I turn a year old.

Happy Birthday, Bri! I love you!

Two Weeks In Madison: A Tribute

2011-03-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

Just Watch it!

Try for distraction

2011-03-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's been a rough week. My mom was in the hospital (she's out now and doing better, I think, although she doesn't really tell the truth about these things. Mom.....). My sister's dog died. Bri is having a knee replacement. And, it appears, that our government is going to hell in a handcart.....

Today, I feel that I just am going to have to see a bit of something else. So, where to turn in times of high stress? Food!
If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that we live on a farm and we raise a lot of our food. If you have purchased any meat or eggs from us (and thank you so much, if you have!), you probably know (I don't mean to brag, but...), how wonderful this food is. Honestly, if we ever have to sell the farm, I'm not sure what I'm going to eat. Once you go "grow your own" you never go back. Know what I mean?
So, right now, we are literally swimming in eggs. We wait all winter to get some eggs. In fact, about half way through the winter I think, "what am I doing? Feeding, watering, dealing with these birds and they give me nothing!" Well, the gals have stepped it up now. You see, laying is based on hours of daylight. Some folks (mostly commercial growers) force the laying by keeping the lights on all the time. Around here, we think even the chickens need a break, so we give them their time off. Seems more natural that way. But, it's about this time when I think "what in the world am I going to do with all these eggs!" So, today, to use up some of our resources AND to drown out the streaming hum of "things can't get worse", I'm making a dutch baby and sharing the recipe. Now, don't worry your little heart about the 6 eggs or the 5 tablespoons of butter. You'll work all that off with the "beating" portion of the recipe alone. Enjoy!
Dutch Baby

6 Sunflower Hill Farm eggs (okay, if you don't have SHF eggs, I guess you'll have to make due with another kind), room temp.
1 cup milk, room temp.
1 cup flour (all-purpose, or for a real show use bread flour. Don't have bread flour? You can add 1 T of vital wheat gluten to 1 cup of all-purpose).
1/4 t vanilla
1/4 t cinnamon
5 T butter (yes, butter. Really, don't put anything else in your body. Throw the margarine away! That's just nothing but chemicals, made in a lab. Eating margarine means the terrorists win.)

Preheat your oven to 450. This is very important. I use a cast iron skillet (you get iron in your body this way). So, put your skillet in and let it heat, too.
Beat the eggs until they are light and frothy. Add the milk, flour, vanilla and cinnamon. Beat 5 more minutes. You can do this with a machine but I like to offset the caloric intake with the beating. You will now have a smooth and creamy batter.
Remove skillet from oven and add butter to coat it.

Pour in the batter and return it to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. The Dutch Baby will puff up. The boys always think it is quite a show!
Remove and sprinkle with a topping of choice: powdered sugar, applesauce, strawberries and whipped cream, maple syrup, whatever!

Gratituesday - The Sun

2011-03-01T04:54:00.000-08:00

Well, as you probably are aware, things have been tricky in the great state of WI. We have spent more time at the Capitol than ever before. All told, our family has been down there 7 times. We went on Saturday but because of other activities, can't go back again until Thursday at the earlies. Today, the budget is supposed to be announced so things might get trickier.....

So, I'm trying to break the spell of the late winter blahs and focus on something other than "ugh, our state is headed in the wrong direction" or "geez, you gotta be kidding me we're supposed to get more snow" or "today my plan is to clean out the chicken coop....."
Today, I'm going to focus on the sunshine! It's supposed to be in the 40s (never mind that it's supposed to not even hit 20 tomorrow....). I'll take 40! And yes, I am going to try to get the coop cleaned out today.
I'm going to go outside, stand on my deck, stretch out my arms and soak it in!

More Protesting!

2011-02-25T06:20:00.000-08:00

We were back at it yesterday. See the walls behind the boys? Those are the walls of the inside of the Capitol in the Rotunda. The Assembly was in session so we even got to go into the gallery and see it in action. Peter decided he had had enough of the Capitol and was protesting the protests so he hung with dad at a reception for a bit. For those of you not in WI, have you heard about THE phone call? If not, let me know and I'll fill you in on all the juicy details!

Gratituesday - My Country

2011-02-22T04:47:00.000-08:00

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

If you grew up in the 70s, you are probably singing the Schoolhouse Rock version of the Preamble! You know, this has been a very, very interesting, tense, challenging, inspiring, frustrating, exciting week. I probably only watched more political news during Pres. Obama's campaign. I have sent email after email and made phone call after phone call to the Gov., all of the Democratic Senators and some of the Republican Senators of this great state. So, today, I am grateful to have a voice (although, at times, seemingly not heard....). I am grateful to have a VOTE (do you hear that, Mr. Walker!!). I am grateful to choose to NOT buy things from large corporations who bought Scott Walker (WalMart, Sargento, SC Johnson, Dixie, Brawny, Quilted Northern, M&I Bank, Johnsonville - and the list goes on.). It is not perfect but, this is an amazing country.

And in other news

2011-02-21T05:07:00.000-08:00

Truly is exactly 60 days from calving! Yeah, 60 days till milking begins again. In the early winter, I am always really happy to be done with milking. The charm has worn off. However, it is this time of year that I think "really, I have to buy another gallon of milk?" We're getting so close!

*Yes, protests are still happening despite the terrible ice storm. I have to teach tonight but am trying to figure out a way to get down there....

Hit of the Day

2011-02-19T19:48:00.000-08:00

Here is Bri and our great friend, Joel, at the protests. Joel's sign was a huge hit especially with the Lutherans in the crowd.

We the people

2011-02-19T19:42:00.000-08:00

Well, you can't really get a feeling for the massive crowds in downtown Madison today, but rumor has it that it was about 60,000. This was our 2nd day of being there. It was wonderfully peaceful and a great thrill to know that when it comes down to it, the people come together to be heard. This bill has been mishandled from the beginning. And just so you know, Walmart, Johnsonville and Sargento are at least 3 of the corps who support this governor....

Again

2011-02-18T20:10:00.001-08:00

Headed back down to the Capitol tomorrow. Oh yeah! Bring on the TeaBaggers.....

"This is what democracy looks like"

2011-02-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/17/us/17wisconsin.html?_r=2&hp

"This is what democracy looks like" was one of the many chants we shouted yesterday at the state capitol in Madison. You can click on the above link to see more in the NY Times. The boys and I had probably left by the time this pic was taken (Peter was having a difficult time because he was "starving".) A woman handed us a flag and we placed it on the rail (the flag on the right). It was an amazing scene. The governor of this great state of ours is trying to ramrod a bill and it is not sitting well with people, especially Union people.

Gratituesday

2011-02-15T19:08:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what it is about Tuesdays, but every week I find myself being challenged beyond belief to be grateful. I thought that was Mondays.......

I was just in a state today. Not really sure why. These are the positive things I did:
-I walked on the road for the 2nd day in a row. Walking on the road is really walking vs. walking out to the barn. Barn chores definitely increase my muscle tone, esp. in my arms (carrying buckets of water) but, in no way shape or form increase my heart rate. So, walking on the road is good.

-I felted the clogs I knitted for Bri. I think they are only a little too big. Believe it or not, I kept using Will's foot as a guide to the size the slippers needed to be. He's got a very big foot. Very big.

-I finished up all the tax needs for our accountant. No small feat. Not fun for me. I don't really like numbers or adding or searching for information. I especially don't like paying sales and use tax for my soap. I actually had to write a check for $1.30 to the county. Yes, you read that right, $1.30....

-I drove the boys to the Shakespeare Project (it's their 3rd year) and I didn't just continue to drive away after I dropped them off. That's good.

-I went to karate and in addition to many other things, fully participated in doing push ups and then clapping hands with Joe in a "who can do 10 the quickest" competition during class.....

-Wednesday is always a good day. Here's to Wednesday. Maybe I need to change this to Gratiwednesday......that might jinx it.

41

2011-02-14T04:55:00.000-08:00

41 was the temp in the van this morning (6am) when I drove Bri to meet the vanpool. 41!!!!! Amazing!

A Hero's Tale

2011-02-11T10:14:00.000-08:00

This morning I was out doing chores. I came out of the coop, ready to head to the barn with my partner in tow (partner = Freddy). He was standing across from the coop near Truly's pen starting long and hard at something. "Come on, Fred" I said. "Go to the barn." He just stood there. "Fred, come on." Still he stood. Finally I got up to him and looked where he was looking. What did I see? The lady pictured. Sitting. In the middle of the pasture. Tucked behind an old burn barrel. Hunkered down. Now, keep in mind, that we have had a 3 or 4 day stretch of some of the coldest weather of our winter. I have no idea how long she had been there.
I tried to get Freddy to return home. Usually I can do this by giving him a treat and saying "Freddy, go home" but he wouldn't budge this time. I climbed the end of the fence and trudged through the thigh-high snow. Freddy walked along the fence with me the whole way. I got the chicken and trudged back. Fred walking along again. Then he headed up to the house as if to say "come on, we've gotta get her warm".
I'm happy to say that she is eating, drinking, pecking around and even laid an egg in the cardboard box hospital. I think she's gonna make it (although, as you can see from the 2nd pic, part of her comb is frost-bitten.)

And here........here is the hero!

Grati-......

2011-02-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

This afternoon, I broke the van. I'm now waiting for the tow truck to come and haul it away. It's supposed to be -10 (windchill: who can even count that low...). I yelled, "Stop yelling" at the boys. Ironic. All the eggs in the coop were frozen.

Okay, so I'm challenged to find things to be grateful for (this kinda seems to be happening on a regular basis. Maybe it's like asking for patience....) But, I am grateful for some things.
-Bri's folks came to the rescue and drove the big boys to the Shakespeare Project. They literally jumped in the car and took off after Joe called to say the van was stuck in a snowbank and broken (yes, in a snow bank, in our driveway, and broken).
-The big boys jumped in and did the absolute best they could with the van. Only 1 "complaint" when Joe said "this wasn't a good day to wear short socks".
-The water to the barn is still running despite the frigid temps. It's probably because we have 9000 feet of snow.
-I was planning a trip to Chicago tomorrow and my friends are going to make that happen! They are so cool, and flexible and problem solvers!
-I made a delicious dinner.
-Bri is home and things are always better when he is around.

Go!!!!

2011-02-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

It's about to start. I'm nervous. I never really watch football. Or basketball. Or hockey or the like. But, listen, when it's the Rose Bowl or the Super Bowl or something on that caliber, I'm there. I think feeling like I'm going to have a heart attack is one of the reasons I don't usually watch. After 18 years of being married to Brian the sports fanatic, I only have a few questions about the sport. I'm learning. I understand a down. I even know some of the positions. I certainly know who Aaron Rogers is (he's the Quarterback, mom, that's the guy who throws the ball.). Go Pack Go!!

Random

2011-02-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

-One of my resolutions was to send more mail. In fact, being a lover of a good challenge, I challenged myself to sending one written letter/note per week. I have managed to do this, so far. It's kinda fun and my hand cramps like crazy after writing....
-Bri found a TV show that is me. It's on RFD TV and it's called Farmer's Almanac TV. An episode talked about vermicomposting and circle songs with kids, a bee guys business. I hope we can find it again so we can DVR it!
-We got a paper shredder today and it's so much fun! I'm going to use the shredded paper to line the chicken's nest boxes. Bri said "you know, owning a paper shredder is a grown up thing". Guess we're all grown up now.
-I am so excited about my doula business! I can't wait until I have my first client.
-This week we are traveling down to the Field Museum where our dear friend, Anna, will give us a tour. She's such a cool person, I know the tour will be wonderful!
-My friend, Heidi, is doing an Artists Studio and we'll also have an art show in the spring. She has titled the show "Joyning". I'm planning on a shepherd's rug in vibrantly joined colors.
-The blizzard left a HUGE snow drift up in our hayfield. The boys are tunneling and tunneling. At the entrance, they are at least 4 feet down! It's super cool and I'm working hard to not be afraid.
-I received a really cool email manifesto and I'm waiting to read it until I can print it and hold it in my hand. I know it's gonna be good!
-Tomorrow the Packers play in the Super Bowl and I'm gonna eat a lot of flour. There.

Header Picture

2011-02-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

This is what I saw as I went to do the chores tonight. How beautiful is that? When we fantasize about living in other parts of this amazing country, I think, what could be more beautiful? Winter skies are the best!

Grati - whatever day

2011-02-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

I guess it was the blizzard that threw me off. 2 weeks in a row I've posted a gratiwednesday.....oh well.

Today, I am very grateful for our tractor with a front end loader, the fact that we found the shovel (read: needle in a haystack) and have a roof rake. Yes, we were hit hard by this blizzard. It was really amazing and beautiful. I have a friend who said "it puts us in our place". Yup, you realize how little and insignificant you are when confronted with that kind of weather. We hunkered down, played games and stayed close to the fire. Today has been about digging out, exploring the new world out there and making sure all the animals are safe and sound. Tomorrow we are going to wake to -14 degrees (temp., not windchill....). If the van starts I'll be grateful on a Thursday, too!

Adventurous Day

2011-01-31T18:20:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that as of today, 1/31/11, we still have never had a broken bone from one of these 4 boys (knock on wood, of course). Today was a close call. Peter somehow or another got his fingers caught in the very large, very heavy door to the bathroom at the community room during our homeschooling Artists Studio. I heard the scream, but from Peter, that's nothing new. He screams a lot. The 2nd blood curdling scream, however, got my attention! When I got to him, seconds after the event, his finger was literally flat in the place where the door closed. The finger was turning blood red/purple within seconds. The consensus from the moms present (including a Nurse Midwife) was to take him to the ER. Peter wasn't so easily convinced. Let me tell ya, when he sets his mind to something, it takes quite a bit of talking to change it. He told me later that he was scared and that's why he didn't want to go.
After x-rays and some very nice folks at the small community hospital in Monroe, they set the finger in a splint and sent us on our way. The wonderful kids at Artists Studio even made Peter a "get well" card. After he got the splint and the ER bracelet he looked at me with a tear-streaked face and said "I like this!"

Gearing up!

2011-01-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

Well, a blizzard is on its way to the midwest. In our neck of the woods, we're expecting anywhere from 15" to 2' of snow between now and Wed. It's always so exciting to anticipate this kind of weather event. It does, however, mean gearing up in many ways on a farm. This morning we gave extra hay, extra water and bedding to all the animals. The chickens hilariously tried to make their way back from the pile of hay in Truly's pasture, stepping in already deep snow. I bet they clucked to the leader "this was a really stupid idea!" The heat lamp and water heaters are running full force. The boys have brought in many loads of wood so none of us has to venture out too much during the height of the snowing. We are supposed to begin Artists Studio with some local homeschoolers and the boys have their Monday guitar lesson. We'll see. Life in Wisconsin sure is exciting!

Gratituesday - Support

2011-01-26T05:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's actually Gratiwednesday but .....ah well. Time sometimes gets away from me.
Today (and I was actually thinking about this yesterday) I am grateful for support. And, even though it will embarrass him, mostly from Bri. If you really know me, you probably already know this.....I have A LOT of interests. Birth, farming, homeschooling, homesteading, karate, knitting, gardening, theatre, soapmaking, sewing, hooping, and the list goes on and on and on. My mom says this is how I have always been. I'm the kind of person when I see something I immediately think "I can do that".
Anyway, this brings me to Bri and support.
I can't tell you how many times I tell him, "okay, no just hear me out on this one". And you know what.....HE DOES! He listens and usually doesn't say much until later I come around and say "you know, I've been thinking that that isn't really the best plan" and he just nods. But when I have an idea that I really REALLY want to pursue, he is my #1 supporter. Even when things don't go as originally thought, he'll help me through and listen when I say "I'm never doing that again" and doesn't throw it back at me when I say "I think I'm gonna do that again" (usually....).
Here's an example: Many years ago, I attended births as a doula. Because of my teaching job and other obligations, I didn't get to do it very often and eventually had to make the decision to stop. If you don't know, doula-ing is quite disruptive (Being a doula means attending women/couples during their labor and birth). One time, I was in the middle of giving my sister in law a perm (yes, many years ago when we permed!), got a call from a mom in labor at the hospital....Do you know what Bri did? He stepped in and finished the perm!!!
Anyway, being a doula takes patience from all parties. Well, the other day I told Bri that I was thinking about practicing again. He silently thought about that for a while and then said, "Well, let's figure out a way to make that happen" and then started brainstorming all the situations that could arise (call in the middle of the night, I'm not back when he has to go to work, what to do, etc, etc). Isn't that wonderful?

I have always had this kind of support, so I probably take it for granted. I realize there are folks out there who do not. Anyway, on this early Wednesday morning as I sit contemplating what other interests I can pursue, I am so grateful for my ever-supportive partner on this journey. Thanks, Bri! (Isn't he cute in his farmer attire?!)

Gratituesday - Community

2011-01-18T04:24:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a whole week since I posted last. We've had a lot of activities going on including 4 of the 6 of us sick....I'll tell ya, a little congestion with a tight cough and continuous sneezing can really make a gal appreciate when she is feeling good.
Okay, so today, I'm thinking about community. It was about 2 weeks before we were set to move to this little piece of heaven that I had my biggest moment of "what are we doing"-itis. You see, I'm a very social person and all I could see is isolation. All my peeps were in Madison. What was I thinking?
Well, fast forward 7+ years and you know, I can't imagine not living here. We have tremendous community out here in the boonies. Let me give you some examples:
-We have a homeschooling group of friends and we get together for things like: gym class, actor's studio, art studio, playdates, special parties like Cinco de Mayo, "get rid of some of my crap" exchanges and so much more. We don't all homeschool in exactly the same fashion, but it is a very respectful, open group of families and I am sooo grateful.
-Within that group, we have several really tight families who jive really well. We have similar lifes (farms, rural, philosophies, etc) and we get together frequently to feed our souls and let our kid play, play and play some more.
-There is a group of people who have gotten together for the past 3 or 4 years to place a Fedco seed order. When we order this way, our collective order is so much that it allows all of us to get a big discount. Bonus!
-Even our tiny little church pulls together to grow a very large garden each year. The food that is grown goes to the local food pantries. Small and mighty!
-We have amazingly wonderful neighbors who help in a pinch and support our "crazy" endeavors.

So, looking back on my concerns, I have come to realize that this is exactly where we are supposed to be. And, there is always the telephone!

Gratituesday - An answer

2011-01-11T19:08:00.000-08:00

Well, most of you know that the month of December was very challenging around here. I was stricken with crazy, debilitating vertigo from 12/16 through the end of the year. I was hospitalized for an evening and a day and the diagnosis - migraines. I saw my primary who confirmed the diagnosis and put on drugs - 1 daily and 1 when I felt a migraine coming on.

Probably most of you know that I'm not a big doctor person (I'm really grateful for what they do but I don't think I need them most of the time). I'm also not a big pill taker. The one thing I am - an advocate: for myself and my family. I asked about seeing an ENT and was told to "stay the course" and "there's no need to introduce a specialist at this point". That didn't sit so well with me. So, I called our insurance, asked if I needed a referral, found out "no" and made an appointment.
After spending 2 days and about 6 hours with extensive testing (one where they shoot water into your inner ear to induce the vertigo - nice.....not), the diagnosis was changed to "excessive inner ear fluid". I was taken off migraine meds and put on a diuretic (water pill). This felt so much better to me. The entire time, I kept saying "but something is going on in my ear" and "my ears are ringing like church bells" and "what did you say? I can't hear you. My ears are plugged." The last episode I had was on 12/31. The last time my ears were plugged was 1/6. Today, I am so grateful for an answer!!!

Another Happy Birthday -Thomas Edward!!!

2011-01-10T04:53:00.000-08:00

Tom (left) with Peter

Yes, that's right, we just celebrated Joe's bday 4 days ago. Just wait until April when we celebrate Peter's bday and then 3 days later, Will's. We like to do things in clumps.
On this day, 8 years ago, Thomas Edward came into our lives. Tom's pregnancy was probably the most challenging to me because he was actually due 12/26......you read that right, 12/26 not 1/10. All the babes have been late but this was ridiculous. After trying every natural thing under the sun, including 3 rounds of castor oil (yum), I went to the hospital, had a whiff of pitocin and was off and running. Mind you, he still took his sweet time in coming. After about 12 hours and a couple hours before midnight, Bri said "if you hang on a little, this baby will be born on Nathan's (Bri's bro) birthday." I replied, I would not be hanging on! Low and behold, at 1:30am, Thomas Edward entered the world.
Remaining true to his delayed arrival, Tom is a thoughtful, methodical kind of kid who takes his time. We think if there is going to be a farmer in the family, it will probably be Tom. He loves the animals and is always out there during births and vet visits. He LOVES to take things apart and see what's inside. He is always coming up with solutions for things. And if ever you've lost something, just ask Tom, he probably knows where it is. He ponders and wonders. He is a really happy boy and smiles and laughs a lot. He is also very well-behaved and is the only child I have ever heard say "I'm tired. I want to go to bed now." He told us yesterday as we all drove to Madison, "I don't need anything for my birthday. I have everything I need right in this car".
The biggest thing about Tom being 8........HE GETS OUT OF THE CAR SEAT and he is soooooooo happy. I think we're going to have a ceremonial destruction of that seat. Happy Birthday, Tom. We are so proud of you!!

Happy 15th, Joe!

2011-01-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

Joe (right) at 15 years (with bro, Will)

On this day, 15 years ago, I became a mother. I believe it was a role I had been preparing for all my life. Labor was long but completely normal. We had some really hilariously funny moments. At one point, I was wandering around the hospital room looking in cabinets and checking things out. I saw this round thingee on the floor, stepped on it and out squirted soap all over the sink. Trust me, it was really funny at the time. The Packers were playing in the playoffs that night and Bri was so impressed when I asked "did they win" in the middle of my pushing. The entire state of WI was so in love with Brett Farve at the time that I said "if this baby is a boy, should we name him Brett". Sure glad we didn't do that. (I love the shirts around here that say "We'll never forget you, Brent")
I remember feeling so incredibly powerful and amazed at what just happened. This little baby burst onto the scene and he's been making his way ever since. Happy Birthday, Joseph Dean Bubenzer. We love you so much!

Gratituesday - Freddy the dog

2011-01-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

I get such positive responses from Gratituesday so I decided to continue it for 2011. Here's today's.

Once upon a time, there was a teeny, tiny little puppy who was found in a dumpster in a campground. Yes, you heard that right, a dumpster.......He was probably about 5 weeks old. Some angel out there found him, called a woman who had done animal rescue and asked her if she'd take on the daunting task of helping this little puppy live. She thought she was out of the rescue business but her heart-strings were tugged and she agreed. Fast forward to 18 months. This puppy had now grown into a large dog, Australian Shepherd to be exact. They named him Frederick William, "Freddy". The rescue angel house-broke him, taught him to sit and to high five.
On another side of the state, a family with 3 young boys and a baby had just moved to a farm, where they planned to have sheep one day. As fate would have it, the rescue angel found out about this family and their newly acquired farm and began planning. Now, one of the twists is that the family with the 4 sons had one son who was allergic to dogs. This was found out after a long battle with horrible eczema and lots of allergy testing. In fact, because of this son's allergies they had to make the difficult decision to rehome their frustrating but beloved 2 year old dog, Chance. Once Chance found a new home, the boy's allergies cleared.
Okay, back to Freddy. So, rescue angel talked to her husband who knew the farm family Daddy. FF Daddy talked to FF Mommy and they began to dream. The one stipulation: due to son's allergies, Freddy would always be an outside dog. FF Daddy met Freddy (fell in love). FF Mommy met Freddy (fell in love).
Fast forward almost 8 years, and the real point of this Gratituesday. Freddy lives here on the farm. Allergies have been outgrown so Freddy has taken over the couch. He has had some bumps along the way (including being hit by a car....another story for another day). But now, in his ripe old age, he has become an even awesome-r dog than he was. Finally, now after all these years, Freddy has learned that if he is a good boy, comes when called (because of treats in pockets), doesn't chase/eat/bite/play with chickens, doesn't run in the opposite direction, "leaves it" when told, he gets to come to the barn on farm chores. This is such a delight to all of us, especially Fred. He gets to run ahead and then run back for treats. He gets to smell and smell and smell and smell. He gets to pee on everything in sight. He gets to go really close to the chickens. He gets a lot of praise.
He is a wonderful dog and we love him so much. Who says old dogs can't learn new tricks? Oh yeah, that's him on one of our walks in the header. That's another new trick. Smiling for the camera.