Oh my goodness! We just had an exciting storm day on the farm.
It illustrates a glimpse of what happens when farm life, parenting life, and a little crisis collide. I thought you may want a glimpse into that reality…
A torrential downpour with big winds blew through the farm Tuesday evening (ya probably remember it). Jon and our oldest daughter were packing up at the Farmer’s Market, and I was running around getting more soaked than I thought possible, checking on the chicken tractors to make sure nothing was going aerial.
The storm was directly overhead, and the rain was vicious.
Ensured that the chicken tractors*** were staked down, I went inside to comfort the two younger kiddos who don’t exactly love thunder.
Jon called an hour later to report 3 things:
1) There were 3 (THREE!) trees down on the driveway and he couldn’t pass. With the van full of coolers. Full of frozen meat. Awesome. This can’t wait ‘til morning.
2) Our 9-year-old was running almost 1/3 of a mile up the driveway in the storm to get home, where she could be safe.
2) Two chicken tractors DID go aerial, did a 180 (and moved forward amazingly), and dozens of chickens were milling around. (Mercifully less than a handful were injured).
Fallen tree after the clearing had begun.
YIKES!
One of the chicken tractors that had lifted and done a 180. It was supposed to be next to the other row of 4.
See those white mounds in the back? They were retired wooden chicken tractors. (Unused) and had blown from where the dog was standing, but on the OPPOSITE side of the driveway to where you see them. Oh, and they were destroyed during the journey.
Of course, this is all at bedtime for our kiddos. Naturally.
But 3.5 years into farming has equipped the whole family for challenges.
Here was our plan: ‘
1) The big girls started little bro’s bedtime
2) I caught chickens and returned them to the safety of their tractors.
3) Jon trekked out with the chainsaw to get to work on the driveway, all in a thunder-y rain.
A few minutes in, the storm blew bigger again… Jon stopped working on clearing the driveway (something about being in a place during a storm where trees just fell… didn’t seem safe…) So he came and helped me.
Chickens secured, we set to figuring out how to get the coolers back to the farm without our van driving on the driveway. (Our driveway is about 1/2 mile long, remember, and 3 trees were down, spread out).
Mercifully, he was able to drive up a neighboring drive, through our field without getting stuck in mud, and to the walk-in freezer.
The rain was brutal at this point, so he checked around on the other animals. Piggies were fine (thank goodness! They live in the woods!) The geese and egg laying hens had a few limbs fall/ trees almost fall) in our orchard, where they are currently stationed, but did just fine.
Geese and egg laying hens around a blown-over apple tree in the orchard. They don’t seem to mind.
I dried off, read bedtime stories, and tucked the girls in.
Then we rushed outside, unloaded the van, with coolers full of still-frozen meats safely returned to the walk-in freezer.
All settled, we collapsed into bed, thankful for the many protections during a bad storm. Thankful – SO thankful – that the power stayed on (LOTS OF FROZEN MEAT HERE!), thankful for kids who step up when the going gets tough, and thankful for the many adventures we get to do together.
We are also thankful for YOU, for allowing our dreams of farming to continue and for allowing us to raise the highest quality meats for you and your family.
From the Farm,
Stephanie, along with Jon and 3 precious kiddos
*** (btw, chicken tractors are mobile chicken enclosures that allow them to be fully open to air and on fresh grass (moved daily) while keeping them safe from predators)… very different from the confinement houses! Come to an open farm sometime and check them out!