An Orchard for Sis

I have a self-declared "fruititarian" in my family.  Sis does not like vegetables but definitely loves her fruit.  Many days when she packs her lunch, fruit is the only thing included.  I know, I know she needs protein and grains too but believe it or not, she is the least sick and prone to allergies in our family, so most of the time I let her be .

At our old house in town, we had planted fruit trees but did not get the pleasure of seeing them produce.  When we bought the farm, Sis and I both wanted to plant fruit trees in our first year, since it takes 3+ years to harvest.  

Fall is the best time to plant trees but the busyness of life took over and the trees were never planted.  Spring is the second best time to plant so I came up with an idea to give Sis an orchard for her birthday.  In our family we tend to give "strange" gifts.  And in the past several years, Sis has gotten her fair share of live animals for her birthday.  Just so happens baby critters are prevalent in early Spring.  This year we decided to give her something living, just in a different way.

Introducing, the Orchard at Shamba Creek:

In the Orchard, there is a collection of apple, nectarine, pear and plum trees, and blueberry bushes.  Not sure if you can tell in the pictures but we have surrounded the orchard with electric fence in an effort to keep the deer out.  I have heard they will eat the trees down to the ground.  I have thought about running wire through the trees, think "The Matrix" laser scene, however for now we are hoping the deer will leave them alone.

Sis was super excited about her orchard and she has spent many hours sitting on the bench reading.  Hopefully we will have an abundance of fruit to share in the future...unless Sis eats it all!

Barn Reno Part 1

The barn came with the land.  We have asked several of the neighbors and the best we can tell this old barn was built in the early 1960's.

The land had been leased to many people over the years and the barn had not been repaired.  The dust was overwhelming as you walked in the barn.  The hinges had rusted out on 2 of the 3 doors. The one working door was barely hanging on, and as we used it one of the supports broke on it so it was left to the mercy of the wind.

I wanted to tear down the eyesore but Tim and several other people kept telling me that there was a lot of life left in the old girl.  I was thankful that it kept the 4-wheelers out of the rain and kept the cats dry but it was not fully functional, and if it was going to stay, it needed a makeover.

I am kicking myself for not getting better before pictures but here is what I have...

The open door is barely hanging on!

Nice hole for animals to crawl in and out.  

The floor looks great here after a 6 ft mountain of compost and dirt was pulled out.

Here is the barn in process:

The entire structure was shored up and rethought...

There is a lovely view out the back but my husband said I could not put windows in :-)

Another exciting part of the reno is we are getting electricity put in!!!  

And here is the new front...

I LOVE IT!

We used old barn tin for the doors since the roof is rusted tin and we are not replacing it.  The trim is rough sawed oak which should age grey.  I got my sliding barn door, actually on the barn, not my house :-).  In phase 2 we are going to add a workshop and feed room...which is hopefully rodent-proof, since the critters are very destructive.

Today we found out that one of our 4-wheelers is kaput because mice chewed up all the wiring.  This was a tough hit but we are learning that is how life rolls on the farm.  I am trying hard to focus on building up treasure in heaven, and not building up treasure on this earth that moth, rust and mice will destroy.

Our 1 Year Anniversary

We just celebrated our one year anniversary at Shamba Creek Farm.  It is hard to believe how much has happened and changed in our lives over the past year.  We are still passionate about becoming "farmers".  Kinda hard to write that word 😁, we have so much to learn, that I don't consider myself a true farmer, but that is all part of the journey.

This farming decision has changed our children drastically, they are becoming young entrepreneurs.  They enjoy researching animals and the products that could be sold from each animal.    The farm is also teaching all of us about loss, one of the very hard lessons of farming is that sometimes animals die for no apparent reason.  We are learning to cherish each moment and not take tomorrow for granted. I love how we are all learning and growing together.

Throughout the past year, the LORD has really been working on developing my patience.  Waiting until the funds come in to do repairs or buy equipment, waiting for young animals to get old enough to breed, waiting to process animals, waiting for babies to be born and so much more.  However, we are also getting to reap the blessings of much joy during the waiting.  I cannot tell you how lovely and peaceful it is on the land, how much closer I feel the Lord's presence.

This past year has had me counting many blessings:  Tim's job in town, great neighbors, energy, health and strength to do the many chores, other farmers that we have met and gleaned knowledge from, the beauty of the land, new friends and customers!

We are a continual work in progress and we look forward to sharing some new developments and changes coming this summer and spring.  For now we are joyfully caring for 10 Large Black Hogs, 5 Red Angus Heifers, 11 layers, 39 baby chicks, 5 cats and 2 dogs - oh my!

Here are some of our favorite spots and memories from 2016, we hope you will join us soon and come out to explore the farm:

Thorn trees: while not really a favorite, they remind me of the cross and how Christ suffered.  

These trees are a menace and they are everywhere.

Frost flowers, these fascinated me, they are so beautiful.

The beauty of the creek that changes daily.

Our first toy purchase, Ranger is not so shiny today...he is a hard worker.

They spent many hours in the creek last year, playing and exploring.

A unique feature that is only visible after a hard rain.  We have named it Savior Falls.  By far my most favorite place on the farm.

The beauty of the woods, so very peaceful.

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