With over 85 animals, I guess you could say that we had a full-fledged farm this past summer. Our brood consisted of chickens, rabbits, pigs, barn cats, sheep, geese & a dog. The kids love the animals, and they are learning the value of caring for other creatures. On the other hand, they also know that some animals aren’t pets and that they serve to keep us fed. Thankfully, the kids are very practical about butchering, and it doesn’t seem to bother them at all.
An additional lesson learned through our lifestyle is the satisfaction of growing/raising/catching our own food. No matter how you feel about the economy and future of the world, learning to be somewhat self-sufficient is a very good thing. This lifestyle requires a set of tough skills that will ultimately reap tremendous rewards. Here’s Jordan showing the kids how he cleans and fillets a rainbow trout he caught in the Columbia River.
Lastly, we spent loads of time teaching Annabel about the joys of gardening. She loved the sewing and watering, but she especially loved the reaping! No strawberry or bean was safe from her clutches – whether it was ripe or not. Jordan taught her how to weed, which saved us considerable time. For my part, I'm just looking forward to the day when she can help me can and freeze the harvest.
We also planted a few more fruit trees, along with two good-sized maple trees in the front yard. As we sit in an open field, I’m longing for the day when these trees grow big enough to give us some decent shade. One of the trees can be found on the left side of the photo below taken in front of the house.
1 comment:
Amy love your blog and seeing the pics, would love to come and visit you really miss you. Your farm looks great and so do the kids. only one question where are the pics of you my friend love ya
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