Sunday November 17th 2013

So far I am sticking to my guns and going to the property every weekend even when the weekend might be busy. Saturday I went to the Clark park farmers market for Pennypack farm and this weekend it was also my weekend to check on the farm and make sure plants in the greenhouse were watered and that things got locked up at night. Bright and early on Sunday I collected my tools and bags of things (how did I end up with so many bags of stuff to bring with me to the property). I headed to Pennypack and opened up the greenhouse made sure things were watered and then headed up to the property.

I pulled out my cordless drill and fixed the rail that the sliding door of the barn runs on, I went to put the lock on the door and the drill died. Oh well no big deal I had plenty to do. I opened both the doors to shed some light on the huge piles of junk that lay inside, I rolled up my sleeves, put on my work gloves and started digging.
I pulled out piles of plywood both rotting and in good condition, broken lawn mowers, old kids shoes that rats had made homes out of, old broken cabinets and chairs and so much more. I got all the big stuff out except for some large item, made for sitting I think but very heavy and set in wood. I'll need an axe for that. I stopped when the pile of junk outside was bigger than the pile inside.

Looks like it's time for a fire and a few trips to the dump!

Since my drill had stopped working and I had no way of charging it and I was tired of handling rat castles I decided to stop by Stryker farms a farm 20 minutes from me that raises pastured goats and woodlot pigs! http://www.strykerfarm.com/
It was a good break from the rats then it was off to see a man about a horse drawn sicklebar mower.

It is a restored 1918 single horse sickle bar mower and the first piece of equipment I am going to buy. I hope to take it to Kutztown and see if A.M. will let me hook up her halflingers to it! Maybe we will do some real work with it too! The guy pulled me around on it so that I could see how it worked!

It was time to head home in the dark, I made my way through winding roads with my high beams on carefully looking out for deer. I pulled into Pennypack around 6ish to lock everything up for the night. I pulled into my driveway about an hr after that. Whew! a long but mostly productive day.

Some things I have learned since officially starting this endeavor:
- I spend a lot of time on the phone and driving around talking to people and picking stuff up/checking stuff out/pricing stuff.
-My plate is officially full! I am never not thinking about something important.
-There are not enough hours in the day for the kinds of to do lists I used to make in college.
-I am so busy and I'm loving every minute of it!

Next time: Fire! The dump, proceed putting a lock on the door with newly charged batteries, meet with a landscaper for an estimate on brush clearing, pay the guy for the sicklebar mower and determine a delivery date, second meeting with A.M. and her horses.

Horsepower

And so the learning begins! I have been reading avidly about using draft power, books like The new horse powered farm by Stephen Leslie, the small farmers journal publication, going to events like the North east draft animal powered field days and anything else I can get to or get my hands on but, nothing compares to hands on experience. I searched high and low for a mentor and I finally found one when I was searching for something else entirely. A farm's website with a picture of horses pulling a cart caught my eye, close to home and I thought what the heck! Why not give it a try. I contacted the farm and told them of my en devour and what I hoped to find- a mentor with the same passion as mine where we could help each other.

I received a response from A.M. telling me of her 30 year experience working with draft animals and how she would be interested in having someone to help her take the horses out once in awhile and would I be interested. Of course I responded right away that I would love to! Any experience is good and helpful.

Sunday November 10th was my first lesson/play date (haha). After seeing a man about some tools and spending a good 4 hours at the property digging out berried tires from around the small outbuilding and mapping out where I want my horse barn and field set up to go I jumped into my truck and headed over to have my first driving lesson.

I arrived at a beautiful farm with large old red barns. We started by cleaning up one of the work harnesses and we talked and I learned the parts of the harness. Ellie is a small 13.2 hand draft halflinger trained by the Amish. So quiet and gentle you can hug her around the neck and pick up her feet and she stands calm as if she was out in the field munching on hay. On the cross ties I brushed her and took in the wonderful sweet smell of horse, and clean hay. Ellie stood there- not her first rodeo she's been doing this her whole life. A.M. told me stories of other drafts she owned and I knew she was just the mentor I was looking for, well both of them were. Ellie with her kind eyes and patient and calm manner and A.M. with her stories and experience excited to have someone interested in hearing them and wanting to learn.

We put the harness on and I was finally able to make sense of all that mess of leather. Collar first, Hames then saddle then hindstrap, crupper.

We hooked her up to the cart and away we went. It was a brisk fall day and once in the ring he turned her over to me and I had my hands on the lines. We drove and talked and Ellies ears swiveled as she listened for commands and cues. It was a different connection than the one you feel when riding. The connection comes through your hands and then to the rest of your body. I watched Ellie's body as she pulled the cart and saw her working but it was easy work, compared to when she used to take her Amish owner to work 9 miles every day.

A.M. took the lines and we drove her at a nice extended trot that ate up ground down the road and back. The wind started to pick up and it was getting even cooler. We unhitched the cart and I drove Ellie loose around the yard getting a feel for how you drive horses when doing work with a walk behind plow or harrow.

When the harness came off and Elllie was brushed and put out in the paddock with hay we made plans for our next lesson. We both had just as much fun as the other.

I couldn't have asked for a better day, no pictures this time but I hope to have some of the horses in action next time November 24th- counting down the days!

Well after 15 years of wanting to be a farmer on my own farm it's finally happening! After much searching and much disappointment I came in contact with an amazing person and landlord. I found the contact through PASA's newsletter and after many e-mails, phone conversations and a couple visits. Mohammed (my new landlord) and I came to an agreement over tea and shook on it (11/2/2013). 

Today I walked the property all 10 acres! After years of corn and soybeans I can tell that the soil is tired, and its lacking in structure, no life- not a worm to be found! I have my work cut out for me, I need to ammend and nurture the soil and coax some life back into it in hopes that in return it will yield me vegetables. 

I measured the existing outbuildings and determined that one should be suitable for hay storage, the other for tools and implements. The implement shed needs work and I will get started on cleaning it out and fixing it up right away. 

Next weekend will be my first day of real work on the property. I have a long list and I am excited to see how much I can accomplish.

Keep ya posted!