summer progress

Time flies when you're having fun.  This summer has been a lot of fun on the farm, and it has certainly flown by quickly.  Goats have been growing up, veggies have been popping up, and we have been soaking it up.  All the weeds have been growing, popping and soaking as well.  They just won't stop as a matter of fact.  But we are not here to talk about them, we are here to see the good stuff.  So, here it is

Cabbages have been getting big and tasty looking.  Of all the crops, I'm having the biggest issue with pests on the cabbages.  Mostly rabbits nibbling here and there.  I should have planted more carrots to deter them, but oh well.  Tess has been chasing them out of the garden every day, but those pesky rabbits pick some odd hours to be snacking. 

Here is the second round of beans coming up.  We'll do some dry storage in the fall when the kids come back to school.  I think we will have some great projects for food storage and preserving this year.  I can't wait for our homemade salsas, pickles, and dry beans.

The hoop house is coming along nicely as well.  The tomato plants are getting a little more wild than I usually prefer but things have been busy this year and I have had to make certain priority lists that don't always include the most manicured crops.  You know when you get really busy with life and then you keep putting off haircuts for your kids.  Then one day, you look at your boy across the dinner table and do a double take because you just saw the mini twin of John Lennon (see Benjamin below). It's kind of like that.

 Well, it's been great so far this summer and can't wait to see you all again when school starts.  We'll have lots to do and share, I'm sure.

twilight zone

So, the oddest things have been happening and I just have to tell you about it.  Here it is July and record rainfall keeps coming.  Flash floods, thunder and lightening, and green things keep popping up everywhere ( I think people from other regions of the country call them plants).  Also, one mysterious evening as I was putting the animals in for the night, I found out that a new duck has joined our flock.  Where did it come from?  No one seems to know.  All I know is that there was not 6 ducks before and now there are.  And to top all this crazy mystery, I have diligently written blog posts every night for the last week and a half and they just keep disappearing!  What kind of madness is going on around here?

OK, so I the last part isn't really true.  I have dropped the ball on the posts, I admit.  But the other shenanigans have most certainly been happening. And it is freaking us all out.  I knew you wouldn't believe me so here are some pictures to prove it...



So, I just went to get a drink of water and get the camera chord and now my camera is gone.  I swear.  I was just about to upload the pictures.  Normally I would blame this on my youngest son, and then go directly to either the hamper, the toilet bowl, or the silverware drawer to find the object that he recently hid.  But this is not the case.  It is nowhere to be found.  This can only be the work of...

The twilight zone.

one more, why not?

Okay, so at first, I was just getting odd stares around town as I carted my crazy family of five around. People would hide their eyes behind their books and pretend to talk on their cell phones as we passed.  Few would venture close enough to chat.  If conversation did ensue, I would get horrified looks as I excused our family home to go feed the three "kids" back at the farm (the goats).  THEN, as I told of our gals in the hen house, I swear I saw some out-of-body experiences.  I don't know what people are going to do now, but it ain't gonna be pretty. 

All of you Compass families out there are nearly as crazy as us (and we have found so much companionship in your craziness, by the way), that I think you'll be able to appreciate one more...

Tess!  She is our new farm/family dog.  We adopted her this week.  It is all a crazy mixed up story, but I'll just say that the dog search has gone on for about 3 years for us, and in a fortuitous stroke of luck, we found an energetic, polite, well-mannered, and extremely sweet companion that will be a perfect and crazy addition to our family.  And because of the nature of this business we call Farm School, she is now a new member of your family as well.  So, welcome Tess, it's good to have you.

farm stand: come and get it

Besides what has ended up on my table and with a few summer visitors and volunteers, we have now harvested the first round of our crops.  On Thursday, we opened up the Farm Stand for one and all to show our early bounty- and of course to sell some as well.

Spinach, salad mixes, Asian greens mix, kale, basil, mint, chives,  farm fresh eggs, rhubarb, and some dill were all available and in plentiful quantities.  Thanks to all the Compass families and neighbors who stopped by to support us.  We'll let you know when we'll be at it again.

Myrtle the Yurtle

So, the newest project that has popped up is the yurt.  Thousands of years ago, Mongolians started making really sweet portable housing that aided in their numerous brilliant war tactics.  Capitalism being what it is, has brought this wonderfully fun tent design to our modern day doorsteps. We have an American version of the yurt out on the farm, and now we have a traditional Mongolian yurt yards away from the South Village that will hold the marimbas and various academic outlets throughout the year.  It all went down something like this:

Chris: "Jason, I found a really great deal on a yurt, and the guy will even help us set it up."
Jason: "That's great, we've been looking for one for a while."
Chris: "Yeah, the only thing is that we have to have a foundation built and be ready to set it up in 2 days."
Jason: "oh."
(pause)
Jason: "Let me make some calls and get back to you."
Brian: "Hello."
Jason: "Brian, I need your help."
Brian: "ok."
(lots of hammering sounds)

(next day semi-truck pulls up)
 Yves: "Where should I park this thing?" (strong French-Canadian accent)

putting up lattice work frame and door

Jason: "This door is only like 4ft tall; I didn't know the Mongolians were so short."
Yves: "That is a common misconception, Jason.  Actually they are pretty large people.  The size of the door is actually related to energy, weather and materials efficiency."
Jason: "What are some other interesting things about the yurt?"
Yves: "Well, all the wood is sustainably harvested and hand crafted by the Mongolian family.  The lattice work is tied together with Camel rawhide.  The ropes are hand-woven horse hair.  The wool insulation is felted from their own flocks."
Jason: "Wow."
Brian: "If we aren't doin' it like they used to a hundred years ago, then we aren't doin' it right."
Yves: "Indeed."

Hand-crafted and painted wood work

Lattice held together by camel rawhide

Horse-hair ropes meticulously made by Mongolian family

Yves: "It usually takes me about 30 minutes to set up one of these by myself."
Brian: "How long have we been at it now?"
Jason: "Oh, about 3and a half hours."
Chris: "Great work Guys, want some doughnuts?"
(you bet we did)

securing the support poles around perimeter

putting first layer of cotton over structure

this is Scott

(FINALLY, after much hard work (and Herculean strength from Scott, pictured above))

I need a doughnut

Tudah...


Yves: "It was a pleasure working with you all and doing business with you.  I'm off to Canada." (the french part of Canada- hence the accent)
Brian: "I want to sell these things."
(handshakes and business card exchanges)
Farm School:  "THANKS YVES, FOR HOOKING US UP WITH SUCH A GREAT YURT!"
Yves: "And thanks to you for supporting the Mongolian craftsmen who made this all possible."
(Hugs and more handshakes)
   THE END...

So, we got a yurt and now you know how.  Special thanks to Brian Piepergerdes (see him for all your yurt needs and questions), to Scott Talmadge for the extra hand, to Yves for all your accommodations, to Chris Von Lersner for your hard work and nourishment, and to all our significant others who put up with, and strangely enough, support our crazy endeavors to make this school cool.  Oh yeah, and to the Mongolians for thinking outside of the box (get it, outside of the box- the yurt is round, get it now, that's hilarious).

Come check out the new yurt everyone and see how beautiful it is.

the long awaited "2nd Installment"

Yes, water indeed does find a way.  And so do we.  After much digging, trenching, and hoisting, we accomplished our curious feat.  Behold, a combo, 3-tiered weir/ rock filtration system (as according to the diagram you witnessed on the preceding post). 

Basically, it turns water like this:

into water like this...

Nearly drinkable for humans.  Definitely drinkable for veggies, and the filters and sprinklers seem to like it better as well.  We'll see how it all shapes up.

water will find a way

It all started one evening as a therapeutic vent.  That turned into a game of follow the leaky pipes.  That turned into more therapeutic venting.  But alas, something magical was born.  This, the birthing of genius, was heroically contributed by Brian Piepergerdes- inventor, innovator, and pretty good ditch-digger.

 

What is it you may ask?  This my friends is freedom (in its early planning stages of course).  Stay tuned for tomorrow's installment of 'water will find a way,' and see the making of history.