Happy Easter!  The year sure went by quickly.  Life on the farm is busy especially since we started lambing.  Those who lambed earlier in the year, I think had it easier, considering how warm it was in March.  The weather can’t seem to make up its mind and it’s been cold and windy up on the hill where the ewes and lambs hang out.  Has anyone noticed how the weather forecasts never seem to be accurate?  If you have never read my post about lambing last year and would like to see what we are experiencing, here is the link for you.     Click on  https://callenshoneyfarm.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/lambing-takes-dedication/ 

 Bella has entered the lambing work force this year.   She has her hands full with the bottle lambs and she loves it!  Even though it means she has to get up early with the big girls!  We just had our 5th set of triplets.  The mother refused the one that I hear making so much noise in the basement.  I just went down and snapped a photo of Bella holding the lamb while Marisa is warming up the frozen colostrum that we saved.

The chicks are hatched out in the basement incubator and it was a delight to hear them cheeping early Easter morning.  Although, the thought crossed my mind that the kids must be crazy starting new layers considering how many eggs we are getting a day. Actually, it’s great that they can think that far ahead.  I believe we are up to 4 or 5 dozen eggs per day.  I’ve been using up eggs very creatively in just about any way that I can.  I’ve pushed the limit in my bread recipes, one batch having had 10 eggs in it.  Boy did they rise high!!  What’s for breakfast?  You dare ask?

Since I started writing this post the other day, I thought I would add, Caleb placed another set of eggs under his favorite clucker!  GOT EGGS?

I think we jumped the gun on our onion order this year.  At the time my married girls and I ordered our plants from Dixondale Farms, we were in the very warm weather pattern.  An email arrived stating that they are shipped so we will all be busy planting those very soon.  Last year they received frost and it never killed them, so we will see how that goes.  The plants this particular company sends are very good, hardy and wonderful.  We still have a large amount of onions stored and they are still crisp and fresh.  If you check out http://www.dixondalefarms.com/ web site, your time will be well spent as “they know onions”.  Prices are very good too.  The more you order the cheaper they get so it pays to order with a bunch of friends and relatives.

We have a new toy on the farm, a Yamaha 4-wheeler. Actually, it’s not very new but was a fair price for a sound piece of equipment.   I never thought I’d see the day, in fact when we arrived home with the unit, even Jessi was shocked.  It will come into good use though and won’t be only for farm fun.  We have used it already plenty to go out on our bee checking expeditions.  Below is the only photo I have so far and that was taken by the kids!

Caleb and I have also used the 4 wheeler to check out our fishing locations as well.  Which brings me to……….the canoe that Uncle Tuna (Charlie) Callens so generously gave to Caleb recently.  It had blown away in a nasty storm and had some major damage, holes or tears in its fiberglass frame.  I think it was left for dead somewhere in Charlies back yard, not escaping the eyes and dreams of a 12-year-old boy!  Well, Caleb has repaired the canoe and he and Peter tested it out last week and they found a couple of tiny holes that leaked a small amount of water.  Thank goodness for the younger folks around here or it would have been me out there in strong Minnesota winds testing out a canoe with no real paddles.  They used the same type we used in the red neck raft post I did last summer!  The canoe testing excursion went well considering the tiny holes and the lack of real paddles.  Today, we finally purchased a set of canoe paddles.  We’ll try the canoe out again as soon as the much-needed rain clears up!  Praise God for rain!

Most of our potatoes are planted in a new garden area.  We completed that project on Good Friday which is a family tradition here.  Even in poor weather we at least try to plant some, but this year we had a beautiful day.  There is a silo stave fence to complete and the other day I was surprised, to see the kids out there building fence while one sat on a log reading out loud a very good book to them to help make a boring job more exciting.  Now that is creative don’t you think?

The guys checked out one of our hops fields the other night and were pleased to find that we did not have a large winter kill this year.  So far so good!  The ones that were dead did not perish this winter, we think last Fall, but there were not that many.  Tomorrow the men are going to get more plants from Brau Brothers Brewery in Lucan, MN.  We will replace any of the dead hops and plant more in another field.  They will install some irrigation as soon as our order comes and they have some free time from their off farm jobs.  It’s always exciting to see new growth come from within Gods good earth.

Maggie is pretty happy to have Frenchy’s old job of feeding, watering and bedding Clayton’s horses that he has in here for training.  Not sure how long that will last but until his new arena and round pen are completed on his farm, we have the pleasure of having him training horses here for a while.   I sure do enjoy sitting on the rail watching him and while I love having him and the horses around, it will be nice to have all the stalls for our use eventually.   Caleb also has a job working for his big brother.  He’s glad to have the extra cash for his trapping and fishing supplies.  He also catches sheep for Luke which brings in a bit of spending money as well.  He’d fish all day and every day if he could!

I would like to ask any of you who might be reading this for a special favor.  I’ve got a very good friend who has been diagnosed with rare form of deadly cancer.  She is in great need of a miracle and could use your heartfelt prayers at this time.  Prayers are powerful and I believe in them and have seen how they work.  So if you would please join me and so many others who love this dear mother of 10, her name is Dixie.  Please add her to your prayer lists and ask others who would pray for her to do so.  Thank you, she’s one very special person!