Before and after...

Google Maps has updated the imagery of our new house since we've moved in. I'm excited because it documents a pivotal moment in our lives, and shows how much hard work we have put into the farm in such a short period of time. I am also excited because I can pinpoint, to nearly the day, when this image was taken (something like 1 pm, June 16, 2010), because:

1. Our friend's truck is in the driveway (which we borrowed after the June 2 high altitude balloon launch, when our truck broke down).
2. The arena is finished and the fences are all up, T and MM are in the paddocks, but there's no sign of Maisy and Harley, so it had to be before June 18.
3. We're holding on to the dressage stuff after the Chicken Event and prior to the Golden Spike Event on the weekend of June 19.

So, who needs family snapshots any more? Maybe I should check streetview and see if we have some shots of us drinking beer with the neighbors. Speaking of which, there are some cool things to notice in these images:

1. You can actually see the horses in the fields, and you can tell which is which (Music is the paint).
2. You can see both dogs running north of the paddocks, and you can tell which is which (Captain is the beefy, slow one)
3. You can see the old chicken coop (we just built a new one last week, keep up Google!)
4. I am pretty sure you can see us sharing a beer with the neighbor under the tree just west of the chickens. Don't worry, Utah DABC - note shadows of the trees, it is after noon!

You should all run off and check Google Maps to see if they are documenting any changes you've been making recently. If not, request a flyover!

The move begins...

For the last several weeks, I've been focused on a pile of poo. Raccoon poo, to be exact. And today I got to throw it in the garbage. It was a good day.

This particular pile of poo was resting atop a stack of straw, sitting in a barn on a farm we didn't own until today. Perfectly good straw, if you could look past that pile of poo. And, in case I forgot to mention it, today I got to throw away the pile of poo and liberate the pile of usable straw underneath it. I moved the straw across our new barn, I stacked it neatly, and threw away the poo.

I think this was a beachhead on the new property. Our farm. I find this a little overwhelming, because we've been talking about this for a long time. And here it is, we are doing it. And it is a lot of work. But good work. They type of work that makes water taste like wine (and wine taste like whiskey).

It is also the type of experience that makes me realize I can't control everything. The dogs will chase horses, a cat will fly out of the moldy, raccoon-poo-covered straw right into your face, and you will scream like a girl when that happens, I'm here to tell you.

But we made the beachhead. Straw as been moved, hay pallets laid, shavings stacked. The dogs are covered in horse manure, mud, and more horse manure. The truck is loaded with dusty, moldy caste-offs left by the previous owners. Tomorrow we'll take several loads to the dump. Tomorrow the dogs will chase the horses and bark at the neighbors cows. Tomorrow we'll clean up and fix and untie and build. Always, tomorrow there will be more.

And we have it now. We are sailing out of the shallows. Finally!

The first harvest

The radishes are the first up! These were practically jumping out of
the ground.

Name that pup!!

We are taking suggestions for the new one.

In for the day

Between rain and snow, I think the captain has the right idea.

The Doctrine of Preemption

In the spirit of the upcoming inauguration, and on the last day when the "Doctrine of Preemption" will be a guiding principle behind US policy, I'm posting this photo and taking ownership of this event before any of my students find out this photo is on the web.

Yes, that is me next to my friend Marcus Divita roaming the halls of Green Mountain High School dressed for "twin day" or some such nonsense.  Yes, that is my real hair, and, no, we were not fans of Wham!  Depeche Mode, Aha, and Duran Duran, but not Wham!.  Never Wham!.  Thanks to Marcus for bringing back these happy, carefree days.  I wish I still had the shirt.

In a further tribute to tomorrow, I seem to recall Marcus and I running for student body president and vice president, respectively.  At least, I think that was Marcus.  In any event, we didn't win, saving the world from our fledgling political careers.  We are better off with Barack and Joe.

To tomorrow!

Butter!

This will sound completely bonkers but, apparently, if you take regular cream and whip it like mad, past the point of soft peaks, beyond stiff peaks, past where little curds begin to separate, and a little bit further than that, you get...butter.

I know! It was quite a sight to see. SG and I have always had a problem because our home delivery dairy doesn't have unsalted butter. I'm a bit of a butter nazi when it comes to unsalted butter. Since I mostly bake with it, there ... must ... not ... be ... salt. So I've been stuck buying crappy grocery store butter and suffering in "silence".

They, SG finds a blog post describing how to make butter from whipping cream. I can't believe nobody ever thought of this before! What a revelation. Imagine how much happier the cows will be.

And the butter tastes just like cream! Amazing!

I can't wait for breakfast.

ps.  That stuff in the jar?  Butter milk!  For making pancakes!