Alarm clock with big ears (and eyes!)

Every morning, Pixel, who is our 16-year-old donkey, greets us with his amazing voice. If you have never heard a donkey speak, it sounds alternately like a lion roaring and a really squeaky door opening. He is usually happy to see us when we come outside, but lately, he pays attention to what is happening in the house, which he can see from his winter pasture. First thing in the morning, when our bedroom light goes on, Pixel lights up with a quiet bray that ends in a real crescendo half a minute later. Because it's always still dark outside at wake-up time, it must be obvious to him that something is finally about to happen in his calm world.

"What do you do in the winter?"

Lots of people ask us what we do in the winter, maybe wondering if we have other jobs or just vacation in the off season. We welcome this question, because it makes us consider once again why we do what we do. We usually answer the casual questioner with "nine months of the year, we grow our own food and homeschool our kids."

What does that look like? Cutting firewood, tapping trees for maple syrup, butchering various wild and domestic animals, smoking bacon, keeping the rest of the animals alive and healthy in the cold, gardening and canning (in fall), trying to read for a couple of hours a day (if we're lucky) and continuing to finish out our half-renovated house, along with the regular school work. And pretty much doing everything together as a family.

If that sounds too idyllic, there's rec hockey, gym nights, library, exercise class, meetings, hockey night in Canada, church and family gatherings to keep us sort of normal.

So far, this winter has lived up to its potential- ask us again in spring if we got everything done that we wanted to!

What if it rains?

I just heard that it may rain during the day tomorrow. Don't worry, the farm will still be open for Canada Day with lots of baby animals in the barns, pony rides under a large roof, goat milking and sheep shearing inside and indoor tables and benches for lunch time. We look forward to seeing you on Canada Day!

Thankfully Dry!

We've had a lot of questions recently about the possibility of the farm being a little too wet, so I thought I would mention that we are high and dry, (or only dampish, which is normal for this time of year). So far, there is no indication that any flood water will reach us. Although the LaSalle River runs past our farm, we may not see a rise in water for a couple of weeks, and even then, our land is high enough to be out of flood range.

So we look forward to seeing all of our tour groups as expected in the next few weeks. See you then!

So much from so little

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Farmer

Hi what are doing today! I hope you have a grayt day today. I think the animls are doing Grayt. We will go there again on July ten and on July 24th see you back soon

From Nico

Dear Mr. Farmer

Did you have Fun when we were there? I learned that the Farm was just for cows befor. I had lots of fun.

Love, Johnny

Dear Mr. and Mrs. farmer

I liked the baby kittens. Did you have fun when I was there? I like to hold the baby rabbits. I liked the hayride. I liked it when I got to play the milking game. I like it when I got to give milk to the baby calf.

Love, Jordon

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Farmer,

Haow are you. I like your Farm. Mr. and Mrs. Farmer you have a grat Farm and you have some net animals on your Farm and you are the Bast Farmers in The hole Wyd World.

Love, Grady

Is it our house? or is it a barn?

Sometimes spring comes a leeetle early when the farmers are a combination of adventurous and inexperienced. It's been two weeks since our boys were doing the afternoon chores on a -25 degree day and grabbed two soaking wet newborn kid goats to be dried and warmed inside. This is not supposed to happen, but the only way to prevent midwinter births is to keep the daddy away from the mommies until December. So while we were having our family week at the cottage last August, guess what was happening back at the ranch! Now here we have Mr. and Mrs. Farmer playing midwife in the kitchen and in come the boys with another little goat. Triplets in January! Thankfully, the timing was perfect so that the kids did not get chilled before we found them; the mother accepted them, even though we needed to keep them inside most of the time to keep them from freezing; and all of them were vigorous in spite of being triplets. After about a week of round-the-clock feedings and trips back and forth to the barn, they have all successfully ended up outside full time with Bess, the good little mama.

The other premature sign of spring is entirely of our own doing. We bought an incubator in December and got impatient to try it out, knowing full well that any success in hatching would be followed by weeks of indoor chick rearing. This morning, we heard the first sound of life from the incubator after three weeks of carefully monitoring temperatures and humidity and turning the eggs twice a day and hoping for the best. All day today, each family member (even the one year old) has been making constant trips over to the incubator table to peek in and see what is going on in there. So far, there are five chicks tumbling around and fluffing up. Several more eggs have pipped (little holes pecked from the inside), so we are anticipating a few more in the morning. Quick, set up the chick table and the heat lamp in the basement. Find the feeding and watering dishes. We're farming indoors again!

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Farmer...

Here is a sample out of a package of letters we received today from some of our visitors (these were all written on an umbrella shape, as will become abundantly clear):

Dear Mrs. and Mr. Farmer and helpers, I like your cute and cudley bunnys, your soft chicks and the pink pig. I liked feeding the baby calf. I liked the pony ride. The mother had a baby foal. I liked the trip. Oh and the umbrella paper is because it rained! Remember? Love a friend from grade one, Catrina

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Famer and your help, I Loved your black horse, I Loved your baby chicks, I Loved your qut puppies, I Loved your qut bunies. Love, Jacob We are riting on thees Raining papers because when we went there it was Raining.

Dear Mr. and Mrs Farmer and helpers, it was a fun feeld chrip. I liked your cudily bunnys. I liked melking your goat. I am wraeding on undrella paper because it was raneing when I came to your farm. I liked your black horse. I liked all of the animals. The bunny that I was holding ceped snifing me. I liked the bunnys the most. love Brooklyn