Oh I am so eager to get to work on our back field. After a very harsh Winter, that is probably not over, I am chomping at the bit to get out there and do something.
Elizabeth and I have considered two options to get compost to our field. The first and best option is to talk with our neighbor behind us and see if he will allow us access through the back. If he does, I will be able to haul more weight at a time because I won't have to worry about driving over underground pipes. The second option is to construct a gate that faces our street. I'm not encouraged by this option as even the best caution can't prevent something from happening. We have both gas and water lines out front. If I have to go that route I will be limited to a 5 cubic yard dumptruck. That means I'd have to do as many as 150 loads to cover our backfield. I'm not saying no to doing that, but you can believe that if I'm able to minimize my loads by a factor of 1/3, that I'm going to do all I can to make it happen. I'd much rather do 50 loads than 150. I'm praying that Elohim bows His ear to hear us-as the Psalms say.
If I am able to start picking up loads this week or next, then our compost will have approximately two months to compress and decompose. I expect that should be enough for us to have a fair start by May 1st. Last year at that time, we had snow. So we are trying to play it safe with the frost dates.
We purchased a shofar! And I know exactly what you are thinking! A What??!
A shofar!
It's the horn that was blown around Jericho that brought the walls down. When the Scriptures talk about "blowing the trumpet", this is what it is talking about. For us it's a daily reminder that our walk with YahWeh didn't start 2,000 years ago, but rather-when time started. It's very easy for saints of today to see themselves as something completely separate from the Israelites, but the truth is in the Scriptures. The Scriptures are express about what changes happened from Old Testament to New. Interestingly a lot of the changes that todays Christians have made-aren't found in the NT.
I'm talking to myself here a lot too. I'm still finding what I believe on all this. For me, somethings just didn't add up until I changed my perspective, then it all made sense-all of it. It's just coming around to the full picture that is taking a bit of time-because we are essentially talking about a shift in culture.
I am thankful for the Scriptures.
A GREENHOUSE!
Yep, that's what we have committed to making. It will be 14'x30' and is supposed to cost somewhere between 500-1,000$. We'll see about that part. Regardless, it will be worth every penny for starting seeds and possibly growing greens in Winter.
It is simple, it's basic construction is of pvc-pipe and 6-mil poly-plastic.
Here is the link to what motivated us.
http://www.fiddleheadfarmers.com/1/post/2012/05/simple-greenhouse-plans.html
Hoping you all have a blessed week! We really need this to be a productive one. Growing season is coming way too soon.
In the name of our Saviour Yahushuah ha Mashiach, Yah bless.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Too Long
I'm not doing a good job of keeping this blog updated lately, which is a real shame because we've had plenty to talk about.
Whether it's the new Warre hive that Elizabeth Ann has, or it be her new Janome treadle sewing machine, our venture with sprouting seeds to eat, new tools, Kilner canning jars, the list goes on and on. We've recently started purchasing real cows milk from a different source, their breed is Holstein. Needless to say, I'm not impressed with the milk or the cream. The flavor is not there that is in Guernsey. I'll leave it at that. These people considered my recommendation and I hope they pursue it.
Apparently the couple have been doing their dairy operation for about a year. From what I understand they are doing it the right way. Grass fed cows, no antibiotics, growth-hormone, etc. I'm eager to see what becomes of their operation, from all appearances it is working very well for them.
We have some cheese making materials like rennet that we are looking forward to using, but.......
we are, of course, waiting till the Guernsey's show up.
We have several long lists of things that need to happen in sequential order, but the point of the lists are two main priorities. The first is to get the Back To Eden garden established, and the second is to prepare the garage for woodworking machines. Slowly but surely the processes is steadily gaining speed.
Later today I expect to be picking up some gates that will able me to dump loads of chips in the back field. That will be a real game changer. I'm ready for it to happen, it's been a long time coming.
Our aspiration is to Can three years of food from this years garden. It's a lofty goal, but with the world looking the way it is, who knows what will happen and when?
So
Once the back field is established, or at least brushhogged, then we can get a garden shed back there and empty our garage of our gardening utensils.
Speaking of "later today", I'll also be picking up the insulation for our attic over the garage. This should help us abundantly to insulate the rest of the house, being as the attic is all one room. This will also assist in keeping the garage a more consistent temperature and humidity.
I'm eager to receive my woodworking machines, but I have to be prudent. These are serious machines that I could potentially own for a decade or more and that will take up a sizeable amount of the garage. I need to know for certain that the garage is insulated and secured sufficiently so that I won't be exposing the machines to excess exposure.
Ordering the machines depends on how rapidly we are able to get the back field ready.
And once the gardening clutter of the garage is organized into the garden shed, obviously the garage will be organized and clean, I can order the machines that ultimately are intended to help me build my workbench that will help me to build these hand planes. These machines I expect will teach me more about accuracy and fine measurement than I ever thought I could learn. Very good lessons that I hunger to learn.
Whether it's the new Warre hive that Elizabeth Ann has, or it be her new Janome treadle sewing machine, our venture with sprouting seeds to eat, new tools, Kilner canning jars, the list goes on and on. We've recently started purchasing real cows milk from a different source, their breed is Holstein. Needless to say, I'm not impressed with the milk or the cream. The flavor is not there that is in Guernsey. I'll leave it at that. These people considered my recommendation and I hope they pursue it.
Apparently the couple have been doing their dairy operation for about a year. From what I understand they are doing it the right way. Grass fed cows, no antibiotics, growth-hormone, etc. I'm eager to see what becomes of their operation, from all appearances it is working very well for them.
We have some cheese making materials like rennet that we are looking forward to using, but.......
we are, of course, waiting till the Guernsey's show up.
We have several long lists of things that need to happen in sequential order, but the point of the lists are two main priorities. The first is to get the Back To Eden garden established, and the second is to prepare the garage for woodworking machines. Slowly but surely the processes is steadily gaining speed.
Later today I expect to be picking up some gates that will able me to dump loads of chips in the back field. That will be a real game changer. I'm ready for it to happen, it's been a long time coming.
Our aspiration is to Can three years of food from this years garden. It's a lofty goal, but with the world looking the way it is, who knows what will happen and when?
So
Once the back field is established, or at least brushhogged, then we can get a garden shed back there and empty our garage of our gardening utensils.
Speaking of "later today", I'll also be picking up the insulation for our attic over the garage. This should help us abundantly to insulate the rest of the house, being as the attic is all one room. This will also assist in keeping the garage a more consistent temperature and humidity.
I'm eager to receive my woodworking machines, but I have to be prudent. These are serious machines that I could potentially own for a decade or more and that will take up a sizeable amount of the garage. I need to know for certain that the garage is insulated and secured sufficiently so that I won't be exposing the machines to excess exposure.
Ordering the machines depends on how rapidly we are able to get the back field ready.
And once the gardening clutter of the garage is organized into the garden shed, obviously the garage will be organized and clean, I can order the machines that ultimately are intended to help me build my workbench that will help me to build these hand planes. These machines I expect will teach me more about accuracy and fine measurement than I ever thought I could learn. Very good lessons that I hunger to learn.
Are You Amish?
This is a question that Elizabeth and I get asked frequently when we go out in public. We don't take offense from it. We know that many people around the country are not familiar with the other anabaptist groups and are also unaware of the various differences between the multitude of Amish communities.
It's easy to see how someone unfamiliar with anabaptists would directly associate us with the Amish.
But here is something I perceive that many people don't know about the "plain folk", that is, we identify ourselves by the way we dress. It's a way of saying, "I belong to this or that community".
When a multitude of plain communities are living side-by-side it is a way to prevent awkward situations but also to preserve a communities distinct identity amongst the mass of plain folk. Just attend an auction and you'll quickly see how many different groups are present.
What kind of awkward situation could potentially arise?
Well consider this.
The Old German Baptist Brethren practice the "holy kiss", also known as "the salute". It stems from several verses in the New Testament that we understand to be a command.
The Biblical references are:
Romans 16:16, 1st Corinthians 16:20, 2nd Corinthians 13:12
"Greet one another with a holy kiss."
1st Thessalonians 5:26
"Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss."
1st Peter 5:14
"Greet one another with a kiss of love."
Now from what I understand and have seen there are some Amish communities that don't observe this. So if an OGBB man mistook an Amish man as a fellow of his community, you can imagine the awkward fall-out from trying to "greet him".
This is just one simple example.
The various ways in which subtle differences of standards are applied would include, but are certainly not limited to:
Colors of materials used, both jean material and shirt/dress material
Buttons vs Pins or hook & eyes
Cuts of a pattern, especially for dresses
Length of dresses
Tightness of jeans
Hat brim width
Hat color
Mustache or no mustache
Hair cut-for men
Beard length-some groups trim, others don't
Covering style-for women
Elizabeth and I are much less restricted in our freedom of dress. I strongly believe that an individual should be able to dress as they desire as long as they are modest and not following the fashions of
"the world".
The few things that Elizabeth and I are consistent with would include:
Her covering-we are happy with it and see no reason to change it. It fulfills its purpose and is attractive. It is not a typical anabaptist covering but we feel strongly that it is more Biblical than what is typically seen. We often have brethren bring this up in conversation. We try not to "beat them over the head with it". I don't need to tell them something that they can see for themselves. Many of them agree with us but don't want to be "the nail that sticks up that get's hammered back down". Being contrary is antithetical to the foundation of many anabaptist beliefs. We are starting fresh, without a heritage, so we have no family to worry about offending.
My hat-It's a simple straw hat, but I'm happy with it. I'd like to learn someday to make one for myself. Isn't that the homesteader tendency? When I leave the house I have it with me 99.99% of the time. I do remove it during prayer, meeting, and worship in accordance with 1st Corinthians 11.
My beard-It's simple to me. I just let it grow. I maintain it as proper hygiene determines and that's about the extent of it. I do have a mustache and always will, I do trim it. A man has to eat. I have wondered though, if I didn't, would it grow as long as my beard? Makes me chuckle.
The mustache is my red-flag to the Amish and Mennonites that I am not part of their community. The Amish strictly hold that no man is to ever have a mustache in their community. Interestingly I held myself to this standard before I learned that there were some "Brethren" communities that did the same thing as me. I'm not Amish and I don't pretend to be. That being said, people still mistake us. For me the entire beard issue comes down to a simple precept.
God created nature, "work with nature, not against it". What a waste of time and money shaving is. Not only that, but the early Christians taught that a man that shaved his face was effeminate, in other words, that he was trying to look like a woman! To me, shaving your beard is akin to telling God that he designed your body incorrectly, that you know better than him. He's our creator, I'll trust his judgment on the issue.
All of this to say, No, we are not Amish. But from the outside looking-in it can certainly appear this way. We describe ourselves as anabaptist and feel that this is an adequate way of identifying ourselves. There will be a time when we are horse-and-buggy, if the Lord tarries, and even then we will still have a separate identity from the Amish. For one, we would not believe that our buggies would need to be black or our farm wagons John Deere Green. Our freedom in Christ allows us to be free of such legalism.
An individual can be plain (or as I prefer, simple) and still "fulfill their identity" while simultaneously cultivating a culture of cohesion. The Amish disagree with this idea. That's why we could not join them with a clean conscience.
There are many different dynamics to this that Elizabeth and I are so accustomed to that we no longer are cognizant of all the vantages. Some of the small details we skip over unawares and other larger details we take for granted to be self-evident.
All that to say, if you have questions-just ask. Email us privately or message us on here and we'll be content to answer anything.
Shalom
It's easy to see how someone unfamiliar with anabaptists would directly associate us with the Amish.
But here is something I perceive that many people don't know about the "plain folk", that is, we identify ourselves by the way we dress. It's a way of saying, "I belong to this or that community".
When a multitude of plain communities are living side-by-side it is a way to prevent awkward situations but also to preserve a communities distinct identity amongst the mass of plain folk. Just attend an auction and you'll quickly see how many different groups are present.
What kind of awkward situation could potentially arise?
Well consider this.
The Old German Baptist Brethren practice the "holy kiss", also known as "the salute". It stems from several verses in the New Testament that we understand to be a command.
The Biblical references are:
Romans 16:16, 1st Corinthians 16:20, 2nd Corinthians 13:12
"Greet one another with a holy kiss."
1st Thessalonians 5:26
"Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss."
1st Peter 5:14
"Greet one another with a kiss of love."
Now from what I understand and have seen there are some Amish communities that don't observe this. So if an OGBB man mistook an Amish man as a fellow of his community, you can imagine the awkward fall-out from trying to "greet him".
This is just one simple example.
The various ways in which subtle differences of standards are applied would include, but are certainly not limited to:
Colors of materials used, both jean material and shirt/dress material
Buttons vs Pins or hook & eyes
Cuts of a pattern, especially for dresses
Length of dresses
Tightness of jeans
Hat brim width
Hat color
Mustache or no mustache
Hair cut-for men
Beard length-some groups trim, others don't
Covering style-for women
Elizabeth and I are much less restricted in our freedom of dress. I strongly believe that an individual should be able to dress as they desire as long as they are modest and not following the fashions of
"the world".
The few things that Elizabeth and I are consistent with would include:
Her covering-we are happy with it and see no reason to change it. It fulfills its purpose and is attractive. It is not a typical anabaptist covering but we feel strongly that it is more Biblical than what is typically seen. We often have brethren bring this up in conversation. We try not to "beat them over the head with it". I don't need to tell them something that they can see for themselves. Many of them agree with us but don't want to be "the nail that sticks up that get's hammered back down". Being contrary is antithetical to the foundation of many anabaptist beliefs. We are starting fresh, without a heritage, so we have no family to worry about offending.
My hat-It's a simple straw hat, but I'm happy with it. I'd like to learn someday to make one for myself. Isn't that the homesteader tendency? When I leave the house I have it with me 99.99% of the time. I do remove it during prayer, meeting, and worship in accordance with 1st Corinthians 11.
My beard-It's simple to me. I just let it grow. I maintain it as proper hygiene determines and that's about the extent of it. I do have a mustache and always will, I do trim it. A man has to eat. I have wondered though, if I didn't, would it grow as long as my beard? Makes me chuckle.
The mustache is my red-flag to the Amish and Mennonites that I am not part of their community. The Amish strictly hold that no man is to ever have a mustache in their community. Interestingly I held myself to this standard before I learned that there were some "Brethren" communities that did the same thing as me. I'm not Amish and I don't pretend to be. That being said, people still mistake us. For me the entire beard issue comes down to a simple precept.
God created nature, "work with nature, not against it". What a waste of time and money shaving is. Not only that, but the early Christians taught that a man that shaved his face was effeminate, in other words, that he was trying to look like a woman! To me, shaving your beard is akin to telling God that he designed your body incorrectly, that you know better than him. He's our creator, I'll trust his judgment on the issue.
All of this to say, No, we are not Amish. But from the outside looking-in it can certainly appear this way. We describe ourselves as anabaptist and feel that this is an adequate way of identifying ourselves. There will be a time when we are horse-and-buggy, if the Lord tarries, and even then we will still have a separate identity from the Amish. For one, we would not believe that our buggies would need to be black or our farm wagons John Deere Green. Our freedom in Christ allows us to be free of such legalism.
An individual can be plain (or as I prefer, simple) and still "fulfill their identity" while simultaneously cultivating a culture of cohesion. The Amish disagree with this idea. That's why we could not join them with a clean conscience.
There are many different dynamics to this that Elizabeth and I are so accustomed to that we no longer are cognizant of all the vantages. Some of the small details we skip over unawares and other larger details we take for granted to be self-evident.
All that to say, if you have questions-just ask. Email us privately or message us on here and we'll be content to answer anything.
Shalom
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