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Here in my hands is a butter ball! Yippie! 
Now I have about three different posts in the works, but I really wanted to tell you how amazing it is to make butter. Really, get a cow and make yourself some butter. Click the link to find out how I did it.
Channa on 12.29.06 @ 09:09 PM PST [more...]
Nate and I have a tradition of going out into the forest and retrieving our own Christmas tree. This year was the third year we've done it, and by far the most fun. We rented snowshoes from OSU for the day. We loaded up on some good food and coffee. We made sure we had tire chains, emergency blankets, water and a compass. We stopped at the ranger station for a tree cutting permit on our way up to Tombstone Prairie. Several inches of snow were in the forecast for the afternoon and they wished us luck. Up we went. There wasn't an inch of snow on the ground until we hit 4000ft elevation. Then suddenly there were drifts. We parked in the Tombstone Prairie snow park and headed up the trail. 
Channa on 12.20.06 @ 02:38 PM PST [more...]
The news on Wednesday and Thursday predicted a large winter storm to rampage through the valley. Now here in the Willamette Valley, we might not know much about snow, but we do know a good deal about rain and wind. Imagine several wet, soppy days in a row. The ground is saturated. Along comes a cold front, pushing a wall in front of it. This was a wall of high winds and heavy rains. We battened down the hatches and prepared for a howling night.
We weren’t disappointed. We had just taken the delicious corn bread out of the piping hot woodstove, when the power went out. No problem, we thought. We stoked up the fire and lit some candles. Romantic. Just then the high water alarm went of on the water level sensor in the basement. The sump pump had been working all day to combat the rain, and with the power out, the water level in the basement was increasing. Nate went down and reset the sensor level to one foot. No problem. We ate our soup and cornbread, then read by candlelight. At milking time, the wind was ripping through the tall Port Orford Cedars in the backyard. As we found out, a large branch had already been whisked off and deposited in the north yard. 
Channa on 12.17.06 @ 10:52 AM PST [more...]
The stove is finally in! It took two days of installation, but we have had our first fire!
Channa on 12.14.06 @ 04:59 PM PST [more...]
I've probably flashed a picture similar to this up on different posts, mostly because it's one of my favorite scenes. But today, there's something new in the picture: Aura! Can you spot her?
To find out more about today, and to know where Aura is in this picture, click the link!
Channa on 12.07.06 @ 07:50 PM PST [more...]
At long last, Queen Aura joins Living Green Farm. 
Check out those horns!
Channa on 12.03.06 @ 09:02 PM PST [more...]
It snowed! Down here in the Willamette Valley, where it's warm and rainy all fall, winter and spring, it's unusual to get any snow that sticks. You can imagine our surprise when the weather forecast called for up to 3 inches! Almost every year, the foothills get a couple of nice dustings. But snow on the farm? Amazing! 
Check out some more photos....
Channa on 12.01.06 @ 04:14 PM PST [more...]