In the winter we harvest and process firewood both for sale and for home. We heat the milking parlor and hot water off of an outdoor wood boiler that farmer Will made out of an old oil tank. He is very crafty when it comes to fabricating. There is also an outdoor wood boiler at our farm store. We all have wood stoves in our houses. To me there is no better feeling than cuddling on the couch on a cold night, watching the fire with a nice warm cup of hot cocoa. That is, until the phone rings and its the neighbor, and the cows are on their front lawn. Wills up and out the door and his cocoa gets cold, typical night at the Stevens'.
We are putting finishing touches on the new milking facility and tying up loose ends. Then it's time to focus on the old facility and turning old buildings into new ones. Our heifer barn is in desperate need of repair. When hurricane Sandy came through it ripped part of the steel roof off. We have used rafters left over from building the new barn, so we will be using them to replace the ones on the heifer barn.
On top of all of the farm work and projects going on, we are trying to build a house. Luckily we were able to get the site prepped so we can start building in the spring. We have the preliminary plans and will hopefully soon have them finalized!
As if we aren't busy enough, we held a meeting at the farm on Friday. Congressman Jim McGovern came to the farm to discuss the new farm bill with local farmers and politicians. He openly admitted that he had no idea about agriculture, but that is why he came, to learn and hear what we had to say. He listened and remarked to everything we had to say. Farmer Molly made a great beef and kale soup and bread. Everyone was blown away. Then we did barn tours and everyone in the fancy shoes and suits walked into the barn. As most of you know there is no possible way to get all of the manure out of the barn. It had been scraped but there is still manure in the grooves of the concrete. It was kind of comical seeing them standing in the manure next to the pit, looking at the cows, and talking on their phones. All kidding aside though, I am very glad that there are people in this world willing to help the working man.
Oh, how could I forget this! We got married on October 12th! I am now Shayna Stevens! The wedding was perfect. Exactly what I had dreamed, minus the freezing cold rain. Unfortunately thats what you get for getting married in October. I wouldn't have traded it for the world! I got to marry my best friend and have the party of a lifetime! But that story is for a different day!
Photo by Amy Mae Photography
From now on I promise to post on a more regular schedule. Thanks for listening to me ramble! Until next time!
