Winter is coming

From the moment we arrived in Idaho we were in a race to meet Winter head on. We had footers for the foundation but needed a home with a heat source and insulation against the negative temperatures we'd face.  We needed shelters for the animals, ways to keep their water thawed, and the feed dry.  

​Some of our lumber was milled by my husband's step-father on his personal mill.  He also helped us frame the house.  That's our daughter, Amber, on our beams with our house dog, Lacey.

My other father-in-law spent several months with us last Summer.  It was so nice to have his knowledge and hear his stories.  We've missed these experiences since the Army kept us away for most of Lance's career.

I have no construction ability so I focused on the finishes, designed the spaces, and ordered the materials.  I sanded, polished, painted, and cooked.
 
In May we brought home an AJCA Registered Full Size Jersey, Goodsell Andy Betsy.  She had been bred by Artificial Insemination with sexed semen that increases the chances of a female. She calved Nov 7 with a perfect heifer we named Joe Brook Shoun; Joe, after her sire, Faria Brothers Prop Joe, Brook, after the little creek that runs through our acreage, and Shoun, after the brothers who had a dairy here on this property in the 1950's and 1960's.

The north 40 acres were cleared from the forest by the Shouns to create hay ground and grazing for the dairy.  We don't have all the equipment needed to hay it so we did shares with a local farmer.  That left us just enough for our cows for the Winter.  We'll be working on acquiring the machinery to hay for ourselves and our neighbors.  The first step was to get this big 55HP Belarus tractor.

It was stressful trying to build a whole house and set up a homestead in about six months.  One of the hardest things we had to deal with was the loss of Athena, one of our Livestock Guardian Dogs.

We moved the cows and dogs into a new pasture. There is a very large boulder there that we expected the dogs would enjoy playing on.  In the early Sept heat the dogs had started putting on Winter coats.  To cool herself Athena dug deep, deep under the rock until it shifted. We're not sure why she wasn't under the trees on the cool moss floor.  She may have been trying to stay cool where she could still guard the cows.  That morning the rock was on solid ground. By the afternoon we were all searching for hours, only to accidently find the 6" of her tail left visible.

​Athena was the sister of the two other females in our pack, but the only one that showed breeding potential.  We lost a very sweet girl and our hopes of a future litter.  She's buried near the house in our sadly christened new Pet Cemetery.  She is missed.

We all dug her grave then stacked the rocks.  Our son, Ryan, made the cross.  Lance's dad, Doug, chiseled the head stone.  The flowers were from my mother-in-law, Phyllis, whose birthday party was postponed because we were out searching for Athena.

We threw ourselves into more work, building a quick run-in shed, hoop shelter, and feed bunk.  We put up some extra alfalfa and straw then fortified the 2-horse trailer to house the chickens.  We moved into our new home on Nov 13, our 23rd Wedding Anniversary. This Winter is proving to be a challenge without a barn but we plan to fix that this Summer.  Yes!  We have another big building project planned for our homestead. 

Praise God for His many blessings and thank you all for your prayers and support. 

Blessings,
​Lorinda