Done Haying

We finished up haying on Thursday, one of our faster years as it was good weather . Still no pictures of anyone mowing, but here is one of Jesse getting ready to ted, and a couple of Sarah raking. It looks like Sarah was trying to run over the photographer!


Here is Jesse building a load. He usually does it with one hand and talks on his cell phone with the other.

Here is David doing what he loves..stacking hay. As long as he has his I-pod and lots of water, he is good to go




Here we are coming down one of our steeper hills. David found it exciting just trying to stand up, yet build a load.
Dan and Brad had fun stacking one day. Brad wore a target for awhile, but he still kept getting hit after he took it off.

What's that old guy doing up there? There must have been a bale crooked or something!


Here is one of Jesse hauling a wagon ahead in the barn so we can unload it. We managed to get all the wagons through this year without tearing anything apart in the barn. Thanks to
Jesse, and Dan too!
Here is one of Dan unloading. We did almost 2000 bales that day. Thanks Dan.

Tanya always enjoyed unloading hay..but she goes too fast for the old guy. But then there are those that thinks she goes too slow. Watch out for the holes in the wagon floor Tanya.

Jesse and David stacked all the wagons in the field, but they still got to help out in the mow too. This is the last load, but we could have fit another few thousand bales in. James and Garrett deserve mention for their hard work unloading and stacking in the barn too. Too bad they missed the photo shoot.

Five Islands Clams

We unloaded our last hay just before lunch today. Stay tuned for hay pictures. Ashley arrived last night with a peck of freshly dug clams, so there was no better way to celebrate our being done haying than with a huge feed of boiled clams...and beer. We couldn't eat them all, so we shelled the rest, and froze them, and when Grandma gets back from Vancouver she can make us clam chowder. Now everybody is heading to Lakeside to go camping.

New Feed Tank

We got a new feed tank this week too, to allow us to feed another ration to our heifers, and also to replace the tank that is now going to be used for the chicken feed.

Victoria doing something

It was good to have Vicky home from Fredericton a few times this past week. She brought her boyfriend Brad, and as well as helping Vicky clean the pool, he was a great help haying.

Shavings

We got a break from haying for a day this week, it was a little damp...not nearly as damp as we needed it to be as we have had no rain in ages. We took advantage of the day to fill up with shavings, which we use for bedding. Here is Jesse pushing some up out back and David pushing some down to the lower barn. We got 8 loads that day, out at the local cedar mill, so we should have enough in for a bit.

Oops..

We have all done it..plugged the pump..so why isn't Jesse smiling? He actually got off easier this time than another time I remember.

Thinking of Grandpa

Today would have been Grandpa's 84th birthday... We are thinking of you Dad.

Psycows for Sarah

This past Saturday and Sunday was our big bike marathon, from Sussex to Saint John and back, for Multiple Sclerosis. This is our third year, and the second year as a team. Sheila, Bruce, Tanya, and Jesse biked the first year and for the second year we decided to form a team and we called ourselves the Psycows. Victoria biked with us the second year, and this year Tanya's sister in law, Maria took her place. I think Maria will be a permanent part of the team. Carrie wasn't in our team, but she did bike along with us, from Sussex to Norton.


Last year, our first year as a team, we won the trophy for second place in team fundraising. Here is Bruce with our Silver trophy, as we had to hand it back in.


This year we now had another goal, and we achieved it..First place! So here we are with our Gold trophy.
Here is a pic of Jesse, played out. He has been trying to keep up with his Dad, but can't seem to do it.

Here we are on the return trip, Bruce & Jesse at the finish line, Tanya & Maria just after finishing, and Sheila after finishing.Keep in mind that Bruce crossed first, then went back to get Jesse. Maybe he is helping him across??



We were happy that we could have all the grandchildren come and see us at the finish line, in their Psycow shirts. Stacy spent most of Friday evening making the shirts for them. And special mention to Ashley, Jesse's girlfriend, who made the trip from Truro to volunteer this weekend. She looked after the Hammond River rest stop, and rang her cow bell faithfully as our team showed up.
And finally we have a pic of Jesse, Bruce, & Tanya, in their new Club 2000 bike outfits. You really have to see it to appreciate it!

Mitham's Vacation Farm

Bruce's good buddy Jim came to visit this past weekend. He was bringing his son David down from Ottawa for his second summer of the farm experience of working hard for a living. Jim got to work hard too, as he helped with moving Grandma, feeding the cows, landscaping around the new chicken barn, and even got to help Bruce train for his upcoming bicycle marathon for M-S.


Here is a pic of Jesse & David busy in the milking parlour.

Grandma on the Move

This past weekend Sheila & Bruce helped Mom finish moving out of her house that she loved so much. It was sad, with many, many memories for all of us, but Mom is happy that the new owners share her love of the birds that Mom has looked after so well for the past 19 1/2 years.

Mom will live in a house near the farm, that will be Jesse's home, until her new place in Hampton is ready.

Which might be a bit as you can see that only the footing is poured.

Happy Birthday Stacy

Today our redhead turns 24. Yikes... And some of us still haven't figured out where we got her. Stacy is famous for sayings like "What's a load on?", and "You gotta live here to get it!"
Happy Birthday Stacy!!

Cages

We all worked on the cages the other day when they arrived from Germany. Here are a few pics, including one of Jesse, Victoria, & Bruce hard at work, and Sarah, who seems to be on a mission. Thew last pic shows the barn, and gives you the idea that there is still lots to do.

Also last week

Also last week we got lots of mowing and harvesting done. We filled a silo with a good crop of clover and grass. I also got most of the barley sprayed and all of the corn. Here is a pic of Bruce spraying the corn, and also 2 of him harvesting. No pics of anybody mowing, but I included one of Sarah milking with a bit of help.

Getting ready for Cement

First, I want to say how fast these pictures that Jesse took with his cellphone uploaded to the blog. Gotta get me one of those phones. But I am still waiting for the pic of the finished cement and I am getting heat for not updating the blog. So here we are jackhammering out the old cow stalls, and in the second picture we are ready for the cement which actually came last Wednesday

Bruce milking a cow

For Fathers Day, I put a pic of Bruce milking a cow. It's not a real cow, and the teats are kinda of a little far forward, but hey, it is in the kitchen and near a bottle of wine, so life is good!

House for Sale

Today we are looking for buyers for this beautiful house in Bathmen, Holland. The house is located on a pretty cobblestone street, near the center of town, close to restaurants, cheese shops, and of course the annual fair( which has been held for like 450 years). Look at the garden and the lovely pair of holly trees! This is a wonderful house, in a pretty neighbourhood, and would be a great place to have if you wanted a place to vacation to. ( Trust me! ) Contact our good friend Jaap (pictured) or his lovely wife Fia.

Happy Birthday Jesse

Our main man Jesse turned 22 today. Here is a pic we like from a few years ago, a pic from today, of a much more mature young man, and a pic of him with Stacy and his favourite nephew, Bradford. Stacy, Kara, Bradford, Grandma, and his best bud Chris were here for supper to celebrate the birthday.