Happy Arctic New Year!

Happy Arctic New Year!

So we begin our New Year 2014 on the Homestead as if we have moved to the Tundra, and living in an old farmhouse has proved to be a new challenge! Our low temperature in Snowyville, NY last night was -19 degrees, and with windchill makes it feel like -45 degrees. Yes, the furnace is working overtime!

This City Gone Country Girl grew up in toasty suburban living, in fact the town I grew up in never lost its power - even during the New York Ice Storm of 1991. Living in the 'burbs, we had natural gas heat, electric buried underground, and a connection to the town waterline.  

At the Allen Family Homestead we have been blessed with a connection to the natural gas pipeline, which is surprising! We have well water, and our electric lines are above ground. This made it a bit worrisome when we lost power yesterday during this 2014 Arctic Blast that surround us. Luckily, the power outage was short, but it got my husband and I thinking. What if during a severe cold spell we were without power for a substantial amount of time? Our furnace is natural gas, but we need electric for the blower. We had did some looking last year at wood and pellet stoves, but never made a decision about it. We may be a little more motivated this year! With 5 acres of woods on our land, we are leaning toward a wood stove. I wish we had it now, it would be great to have warm and cozy wood heat to snuggle with during this arctic blast! Luckily for now the water is still flowing from the well, (although extremely cold), the natural gas is flowing, and the furnace is blowing warm air.

Our chickens in the barn are trying hard to stay warm, and we have concern that one of our roosters may have a touch of frostbite on his comb. We have two heat lamps in their coop area, and they roost together keeping each other warm. Half the eggs we brought in today were frozen, which is a bummer, but I am more worried about keeping our chicks healthy then a few cold eggs. Another project on the to-do list, insulate the barn? Really? More research to do...

We count our blessings as we were able to have some major insulation work done to the house this past summer. Our attic held only three inches of insulation, and last winter it was cold in our house. The crawl space under the back of the house made it difficult to keep it warm, and the average temperature there was about 56 degrees. And we keep our furnace at 68 degrees! Needless to say, I cooked a lot in the kitchen just to warm up the back of the house. We qualified for a grant through New York State Energy Star Program, which helped us qualify for new insulation in the attic, and crawl space under the kitchen / back of the house. Thank God that the work was finished when it was, who knew that we would have temperatures this cold this winter. Just in time!!

We did have some excitement on Sunday when our oldest daughter was taking a shower, a pipe burst which caused it to rain into my laundry room below. What a mess!! Taking the ceiling tiles off in the Laundry room, it exposes the workings of the floor above. It is really neat to see the old rough cut wood and lumber that our home is made, showing the internal age of the home covered up by modern remodeling. My husband has pinpointed the issue to where the pipe connects to the shower head, but that means ripping out the wall behind it to get to the area that needs fixing. So we are now taking baths, which I haven't done since I can remember, washing and rinsing with a water pitcher. I guess this gives us the experience of old fashioned bath time in our 140 year old home!

Never a dull moment here at the Allen Family Homestead, and this City Gone Country Girl is loving every moment. We have been so blessed since we have moved here, even if we have chores to do and surprises around every corner. May 2014 continue to bring us many more experiences and blessing!

Stay warm all! ~ City Gone Country Girl ~ Jenn 

Building Stone Walls

I spent my Wednesday building a stone wall around our chicken run. Just me, no additional helpers, working hard to burn off some anger. Our family had a traumatic experience on the Homestead this week, and I was left home to keep this from repeating.  I worked hard, carrying small and large stones, trying to ignore the hurt resonating inside. The voice in my head, admonishing myself, knowing this could have been prevented had we been a little more careful.

Our chickens are getting smarter, and escaping from their safe little coop. The grass looking tasty on the other side of the fence, I have spent several days catching chickens and placing them back where they belong. Well, Sunday afternoon our Husky dog, Sandy, got to one of our beloved chickens and maimed her. I don't think Sandy meant to hurt her, I 'm sure she was just playing. Sandy cowered after she was found with the hurt chicken, as if to say "I'm sorry". Unfortunately the damage was done, and the Chicken died the next morning.

 

The interesting thing about this event was how much we were saddened by the chicken's fate. We had just butchered three of our roosters a few weeks back, and that didn't bother my girls too much - or I for that matter. But this was different. We wrapped up our little chicken in a towel, and took turns holding her and making her comfortable. Tears were shed, as we knew the fate of our hurt friend was not going to be a happy one.

 

As I built the stone wall around the chicken fence, I kept mulling over the event and how it affected our family. As a City Gone Country Girl, this is my first experience of losing a farm animal. This was also the first for my two girls, experiencing death of a beloved pet. As a mother I want to protect my girls from experiences such as this! I know it was bound to happen, but to lose it to our family dog just seemed so senseless. We tried hard to be careful to keep our chickens safe from predators. I knew we had some updating to do, and the rock wall will keep predators (and Sandy) from digging under the fence. A net over top will keep our chickens from flying out and Chicken Hawks from getting in. If we had just done this sooner...

 

While stacking the rocks one by one, I felt better knowing I am trying my best to protect the rest of the flock. As I worked building my chicken stone wall, Sandy worked hard digging holes next to the wall; as to tell me "You can't keep me out mom! I'm still gonna try"! I can't harbor too much anger toward Sandy, it is her instinct as a Husky to dig and hunt.

 

Working on the stone wall made me ponder some about my life. How many times have I built "stone walls" in hopes to prevent emotional trauma? To answer that question, many times! When hard things happen, I naturally tend to withdrawal and build "stone walls" to protect myself from being hurt again. I have learned over the years that this tactical stance does not necessarily protect me, it just makes me lonely. As these "stone walls" are built to protect us from hurt feelings, it also blocks our ability to engage in relationships and make friends. The fear of emotional pain keeps the "stone walls" up, but lessens one's ability to experience life fully.

 

Once I placed the final rocks along the chicken stone wall, I felt better about the safety of my chickens. I felt a burden lifted, anger dissipated, knowing I did my best to protect my little creatures that I have come to love so! I also know that this little stone wall will remind me to be forgiving; to my dog, to others, and to myself. I can work hard creating barriers for protection, but sometimes things will pass those barriers. The "stone walls" built for emotional protection need to be knocked down, one by one, if I want to take in all that life has in store. 

 

Knock down those "stone walls"  - vulnerability is part of human companionship.

With companionship comes pain, joy, sorrow, happiness, and love!

May we experience it all, deeply and fully as meant to be!
Jenn ~ City Gone Country Girl