New Kittens

New little pets have brought a lot of pleasure in the last few weeks.

A First

Our bow hunter got a coyote ... in his first season out.


One less chicken predator.

The Spider

Our guys have nicknamed this little tractor "The Spider". It is a 1935 Ford 9N that we bought off a neighbor. We also have the manuals to go with it. So it may well be something the boys can learn & tinker on ... though thankfully, right now it does not need tinkering. It's ready to go to work.


Putting the narrow wheels at their maximum width adjustment makes this an excellent row-crop tractor.

New life

Spring is the time for new life on the farm. It is totally exciting for everyone to see the new little calves bouncing around. See?

This little one looks like his father, "Curly".



We are only expecting 11 calves for 2011. Six are already on the ground - four of those were born on Monday. Can you imagine the excitement level that day?

Now, Let's Talk Turkey!

The fan club ...



... in the freezer!

Thousands

This picture is worth a thousand words:



Of course, the tractor is worth thousands of dollars.

It will save thousands of hours and it will be useful in thousands of jobs here at Klasse Woods Natural Farm.


And one for fun ...

Talking Turkey

Wow, the weeks are flying by and we're already looking at the end of summer 2010!

This year we tried raising turkeys. We'd heard they are rather fragile & finicky their first 8 weeks or so ... and that was our experience also. Now they're growing good and happy in their portable sheltered home.

We have 31 of the original 50 turkeys left, but these are hale & healthy. Growing & garbling -- I actually kind of like their "turkey talk". What do you think? (You can hear our princess in the background too -- she loves the animals ... a farm girl through & through, lol!)



Having heard the phrase "talking turkey" I wanted to check out what it means. Do you know what it means? It's actually like someone saying to you "let's get down to business" ... or "Let's get serious and talk business now!"

Yup. Turkey is part of our business now.

Have you ordered your 2010 Thanksgiving/Christmas turkey yet? As you can see, supplies are limited. They are booked for processing at an inspected facility on September 30 ... just in time for your big Thanksgiving supper!

Garden Markets

When we're not busy at the Neepawa market we're getting ready for it ... or the CSA baskets which are more of the same delivered on Tuesdays to Brandon.



We're also trying a roadside market at the end of our lane. Saturday morning and early afternoon there is a lot of traffic going to and from Circle Square Ranch. We've done this for two weeks and so far the net profits have been equal to that of our first market attempts in both Brandon and Neepawa. This is certainly less driving which is a huge bonus!

Who knows? Perhaps we may have the beginnings of a Klasse Woods Country Market??

If it is to be? It will take some persistence, that we know already.

Praying for wisdom. James 1:5

Potatoes

Everyone loves fresh garden potatoes ... just like we do! The smaller, the better! LOL!

Digging ...




... by hand digging potatoes got old fast. We're thankful to have a neighbor who is willing to come help us "dig spuds" once a week. We're shopping for a tractor that can do everything we need it to. Please pray with us that we will find the right one. Thanks.



Washing:

It's a New Day

We've got 400 new baby chicks ...



... and 50 new baby turkeys!


The chicks will grow on grass for 10 weeks. The turkeys for 16 weeks. Pastured-poultry, raised on only grass, fresh air & sunshine - no chemicals or growth hormones.

Promoting your health!

Place your orders A.S.A.P -- supplies are limited and going fast!

Waterfall @ Klasse Woods

While we haven't been receiving the torrents of rain that surrounding areas have been -- like six inches within a week just South of the Souris River -- we did receive a good inch this morning within just 20 minutes.

It made our own private waterfall just out the back door -- sound effects and all!



At times like these, we're thankful to have sandy soil -- not much damage to the gardens & field because the water soaks away quite quickly.


Since we haven't gotten a lot of rain this week, we're thankful for this moisture.

To date, we've also not been in too dire need of intermittent rains sufficient to nourish the land.

New Toy? Or Tool?

This nifty seeder has been on Ken's wishlist for a while, but this year it was promoted to being a part of the resources here @ Klasse Woods. It is the perfect thing to plant a market garden -- in fact we bought it from some very successful market gardeners who are finished their career.

It does the tedious backbreaking work of precisely seeding, properly spacing the seeds, then packing them as well ... all in one pass. What a blessing it is proving to be.

Busy Days

You've probably guessed that these are busy days @ Klasse Woods ... schooling, baking, planting, cleaning, singing, making candles & some new molds, a new wood project ... and the list goes on.


Not much time for posting, but you can check out some of the new things here.

I'm planning a few new project posts coming up soon and there are still a couple more Cambodian posts yet to come...

Changes & Learning Curves

Whew, what a week!

Monday - Molly arrived and threw us into learning curves with milking by hand. Hey, we're not the only ones, she had to learn with the guys what hand milking is all about. Apparently the milker we have has issues - we're trying to get those resolved.
- Corbyn's ticket was bought for his trip to Cambodia, March 30-April 14, 2010. He's going with his Uncle Darryl on a ministry trip for Children's Camps International. Please pray with us for them & those they seek to serve through this great opportunity!

Tuesday - we finally located and brought home 50 new laying hens. They're as hard to find in Manitoba as the proverbial "hens teeth", lol! From now on, we may just hatch our own in an incubator. Wouldn't that be fun??

- Corbyn started part-time work @ Rosehill Woodcrafters Ltd., but when he came home after his first day he was already full-time. Having him gone all day everyday has really made a huge change in all of our lives!! Of course, he has learning curves to go through at work, but we do too ... changes in schedules & responsibilities etc.

Wednesday - made our first batch of yummy yogurt. Whoohoo!
- Faith Mattaya decided it was worth it to learn how to walk with boots on so that she can go outside, see the animals & play with the kitties.

Thursday - A Happy 6th Birthday for Benjamin & Bronlin. It is so hard to believe that they're already six!! We really celebrated their birthday already on Sunday when Grandpa & Grandma Wiebe were here for a wonderful visit.

again a long day of baking & preparing for Farmer's Market on Friday.
- we made our first butter ... with great success!

Friday - Farmer's Market & shopping in Brandon.
- failed our first attempt @ making cottage cheese ... much to the delight of the cats & dog!

Saturday - resting up and preparing for Sunday & company (house cleaning).
- made our second batch of cottage cheese with success! Yay!

Thank you, Lord, for creating a Day of Rest!

Meet Molly

Our new resident registered Brown Swiss. She's so gentle & patient. She makes this place a real farm!


... notice the llamas are "meeting" her too? They are very curious creatures -- and protective! They have lived here at Klasse Woods longer than we. I guess you could say we "inherited" them with the farm. It is taking a long time for us to win their confidence though, they are still very wary of us.

Venture Advance

Our Beeswax Candle business has made strides this winter ... so much, in fact, that we are already marketing them at the Brandon Farmer's Market every Friday.

The sweet smell of beeswax fills our home as Brayden makes his creations in our basement work room. Many of the candle shapes are formed from molds we've made ourselves. The sense of accomplishment is just as sweet ...



As new things go, we've experienced some challenges in the learning curve - like using the correct wicking as well as the correct wick thickness for each candle - but now, some of those hurdles are behind us, the candles burn brightly clearing the air as only beeswax candles can do and adding much delight to our decor.

Delightful, beautiful, functional and healthful, these candles will make great gifts for anyone and everyone - I know I certainly feel like I've received a gift every time we get to do a trial burn test of one of the newest creations.

Farm Fun

There is no end to fun on the farm ...



Like usual, if you click on the image you can get a close-up view of the boys having fun.

Growing Things

We grow things @ Klasse Woods Natural Farm. It's what we do.

The other day this is what we saw ...



... our little guys were busy planting ice cicles - upside down. Do you think they'll grow?

Planning for Spring

We're still in the midst of winter - those who have lived here a long time are saying there is more snow than usual already.

... but we're in the midst of planning for spring! Whoohoo!



Members are already signing up for our weekly CSA Garden baskets ... bedding plants are ordered at a local greenhouse, Sprucedale Industires. It is operated by developmentally challenged adults - they were there for us last year when our June garden froze out. We want to support them. It just "seems right" since I also have had the privilege of growing up with a sister and a brother who had/have development challenges also.


AND we're all enjoying browsing through the seed catalogs, choosing our seed packets and deciding how much we will need to plant this year as our membership is likely/hopefully going to double ... plus we'll be able to sell extra at the Brandon Farmer's Market that we've recently joined.

Spring brings a lot of excitement around here!

Wonderful Warm Weather

Good for sledding...



Going for a walk with Daddy ... and checking all the animals!



And the older guys were working in the woodlot!

Above zero temps in mid-January following last weeks frigid temps sure is a treat!