Mamoth Spring And Grand Gulf State Parks

My family and I decided to take a day off from everything and go for a ride to a couple of nearby state parks.  Both are enjoyable and beautiful.  One is in Arkansas and the other is a few miles away in Missouri.  A nice day trip for us that took a couple of hours to get there.

Mammoth Spring state park is in Arkansas just across the state line from Thayer, Missouri.  This picture is of a little outlet located next to the spring.  Mammoth Spring boasts the 10th largest natural spring in the world.

 This is another view of an outlet from the spring.  There are two such outlets.  The spring is indicated by the "pond" from which the water flows.  Over 9 million gallons of water is produced from the spring every hour.

 The town of Mammoth spring was a hub of freight and passenger trains in the late 1800's.  This picture is of the depot from 1888 which is now a museum.  The train tracks are just on the other side of the building which carry several trains a day even now, although they no longer stop at the depot!

Grand Gulf state park is near Thayer, Missouri and is often called the "little grand canyon of Missouri".  It was formed by the collapse of an underground water way, forming a rather large crater.  This is a view from one of the platforms along the rim.

The picture above is while we were down in the hole.  There are 119 steps that take you down there.

There are several hiking trails that take you around the gulf with plenty of God's natural beauty around.  A very enjoyable day together and it was all free.

Shots On The Farm

The girls went out with their cameras' and took a few shots around the homestead.  I thought I'd share them with y'all.  The ducks are a recent addition and quite fun to have around.

Memorial Day

The Uninvited Guests!

Yesterday as I was trimming the grass my wife called me over to the small chicken tractor that we have a momma hen and her chicks in.  She told me there was a snake in the chicken tractor, so I lifted the lid and saw the tail.  It was coiled up under the nest box.  I removed the nest box to get at the snake and discovered not one but two snakes.  Both black snakes, coiled up with each other.  Maybe they were going to mate there, but I doubt it.  Thankfully they didn't get any of the chicks, so we were able to save the day.The largest one measured 5.5 feet and the smaller one measured 4.5 feet.  They could have eaten a few chicks!

Family Night With Pizza And A Movie

Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the week-and no, it's not because it's Friday.  Well, maybe partly, it is pizza night and family movie night!  The pizza is homemade and awesome!  The movies aren't always awesome but they are fun and it's nice to relax with the fam.  This is how frugal people spend time together.  Frankly, I think it is a much more wholesome time together with much more interaction.

We have been doing this for at least 12 years.  I can't imagine what life would be like without movie/pizza night.  What do you do in your home to spend time together?

Nurse Saves Washington's Army

I haven't found too much to share with you today in the way of relevant homesteading news, so I thought I'd share this little anecdote about the Revolution.  The little woman nurse was a true patriot, indeed.  Use the link and read the short story about how she saved Washington's army.

How Did Colonists Fight Squash Bugs? Can Tansy Be Used?

We have a continuing problem on our little homestead with squash bugs. Every year we battle the little demons, leaving nothing untried. The only sure method of dealing with these bugs and keeping them from killing the precious squash plants is to pick off every little egg we could find. That, along with picking off and stepping on every squash bug we saw. Believe me, the effort always seemed futile. We have even decided to forgo growing squash for a couple of years in hopes of the bugs going away. The trouble is that we always have incidental squash plants popping up in the compost bin or elsewhere. So I am not sure how to get rid of them.




Pesticides are not an option. We like real food. So I got to thinking and wondering how farmers dealt with these squash beetles in colonial times. I am not sure that I found an answer (bummer) but I did come across something interesting and possibly valuable for us homesteaders/survivalists/farmers.



Tansy is a plant that has shown a natural ability as a pesticide and insect repellent. Townsfolk used to put Tansy wreathes on deceased loved ones and pack their coffins with the flower to ward of worms and insects. Colonists and English, alike would place pots of Tansy on window sills to ward off house flies. They would even put sprigs in bed linen to drive away pests and used it for ant control. Colonists went so far as to put Tansy in their shoes to fight off malaria carrying mosquitoes.



Try this one, Common Tansy is often planted along side potatoes to repel Colorado Potato bug. Research has shown that Tansy does, indeed repel mosquitoes, but not as well as the modern chemicals. Research in Sweden has shown a 64%-72% tick repellent from Common Tansy. Interesting, to be sure.



I don't know if I will find an answer to our squash beetle problem, but I love the way we can learn new things from the past. Maybe Common Tansy can find a place around our homestead.



A word of caution: the oils found in Tansy are toxic and can cause contact dermatitis on people with sensitive skin. Although Tansy has been used for centuries by herbalists to kill internal parasites (which is very effective), be careful. In the USA, Tansy has been limited to alcoholic beverages, so do oyur research before taking it internally.

Farm Horses Were Once Part Of The Family

The average farm in the late 1800's was 100 acres.  I bet the average size was a bit smaller than that in the 1700's.  Back then, farmers used horses or oxen for everything.  They had to get out of bed well before sunrise to feed the work horses, even before the farmer himself ate.  This was to ensure the animals were ready for the work day.  It is hard to stress how much these animals meant to a farmer.  If a horse was stolen or died, it was a very big deal.  They spent a lot of time taking care of them, for that reason.

How important are your animals on your homestead?

Old World Wisconsin-A Lnk To The Past

We made it back!  We had a great time in Wisconsin, visited some family etc.  We are very glad to be back, however.

As I stated before, we went to Old World Wisconsin while we were there and had a great time.  I will post some pictures and talk about a few things when we get them uploaded.  For now, I encourage you to use the link and visit the website.  If you are a homesteader and want to learn about some of the old methods, this is a great place to visit.  It is a outdoor museum with real people dressed in period garb that serve as interpreters.  You can learn a bunch about life and agriculture in the mid 1800's.  So hang in there, I will post more-I promise.

Use the link and visit their website.

General Washington Was Concerned About Farming In The New USA

During the latter part of his life, Washington became much concerned with the poor state of farming in the young United States. In a letter to Alexander Hamilton dated Philadelphia, November 2, 1796, President Washington wrote, “It must be obvious to every man, who considers the Agriculture of this country, (even in the best improved parts of it) and compares the produce of our lands with those of other countries, no ways superior to them in natural fertility, how miserably defective we are in the management of them; and that if we do not fall on a better mode of treating them, how ruinous it will prove to the landed interest.” (Quoted from Donald E. Howard Blog).

Not much has changed, has it?

George Washington Was A student As Well As Inovator

"Always eager to improve his methods and products in farming, Washington was a constant seeker of new ideas and information.  He owned a sizable library of books on agriculture production and maintained a correspondence with several farmers in the United States and in England regarding ideas on better farm methods and techniques." (Quoted from Donald E. Howard's blog).

This is one thing we can do today, without a doubt.  Read lots of books, talk to lots of farmers/homesteaders, follow blogs (like this one :) ).  There is a ton of knowledge and wisdom on homesteading to be gleend from the past and present.  What have you read lately?

Mount Vernon Agriculture

George Washington said that, "agriculture has ever been amongst the most favorite amusements of my life".  It is true that the man love to be at home, on his farm at Mount Vernon.

In a letter to a friend, Mr. Washington commented, "..I am led to reflect how much more delightful to an undebauched mind is the task of making improvements on the earth, than all the vain glory which can be aquired from the ravaging of it...".  It might be safe to say that Mr. Washington had an understanding of our inherrited stewardship of our home, the earth.

Even when away from his farm serving his country, which was much of the time, his thought were with his beloved home.  He wrote frequent letters to the managers of his estate giving them directions and planning for the opperation of the farm and asked for status reports on the condition of crops and animals.  He would ask how the new grass they planted came on and if the winter affected it.

George Washington was a leader of this country, but he was also a leader in agriculture.  Historians give credit to Washington for the mule through the cross breeding of donkeys and horses.  This turned out to be an excellent work animal that, he believed, was cheaper to feed than horses and easier to keep.  He also did many experiments with all kinds of plants to see which would grow the best in Mount Vernon soil.

A very interesting man, indeed.  Not just as a founder of this nation but as a farmer who loved the land and his home.

George Washington thought "outside the box" as a farmer.  What can we learn from this?

There are many garden and farm tools that we take for granted today.  If we need a tool, or break one, we head off to the nearest store and pick one up.  Often, we don't even thnk about the tool we're using.  I know, who actually thinks about their tools?  During mostly agrarian colonial times, they thougt about their tools a lot.  In fact, their daily survival depended on them and they couldn't just rush to the store and fetch a new one.

What if we were faced with similar survival problems in our time?  What if civil war broke out again?  What if we lost our ability to move freely about?  I bet we wouldn't take our tools for granted any longer.  Indeed, our lives, just like the colonists lives, may depend on our tools.

One of the most important tools on a colonial farm was a dung fork.  Yes, it is just what the name implies.  Back then, garden and farm tools were custom made and very hard to come by.  They were crafted by local craftsman and became a centerpiece of trade.

If tools were stolen, rewards were often offered for their recovery.  Bounties were placed on the heads of the thieves.  Tools in colonial times were a serious business, lives depended on them.

I will finish with a question.  Do you think ther may be a time we will need the use of hand tools again?  Let me know by leaving a comment.  Thanks for stopping by.

George Washington On Crop Rotation

General Washington was not just a great, revolutionary leader, he was a great farmer whose heart was always at Mount Vernon, even while he was away.  Can you see any wisdom in this for the homesteader who plants raised bed gardens?


"Consequently two things must be engrafted into our plan: 1st, Crops which are useful on our farms, or saleable in our markets, and 2d, the intermixing these crops by such relations and with such dressing as will improve, instead of exhausting our lands. To effect these is the great desiderata of Farming, and ought to be the pursuit of every farmer. On this ground every experiment is a treasure, and the authors of them valuable members of Society. "




George Washington

(Letter to Charles Carter, January 20, 1788)

Trying A New Approach To Homesteading Through Old Ways

I am a history buff at heart.  I got to thinking one day, that it would be neat to try something new for this blog.  Something that would attract the interest of more people.

Since many homeschool, homesteading, small farming, sustainable living folks tend to farm or homestead in an old fashioned way, with little powered equipment and little input expense, I thought it would be neat to meld my two interests together-history and homesteading.  Many of us tend to look at past farming methods to employ today.  Taking wisdom from old timers and how they did things 100 years ago, or more and applying an updated version to our homesteads.

Frankly, there is a lot we can learn from the past.  Not everyone can afford even a small tractor, so how did people get by before there were tractors?  Homesteaders did not have access to chemical fertilizers and pesticides, so what did they do to preserve the crop?  Speaking of preserving, what did folks from bygone days do to preserve their food?  These things are interesting to me and have some value to our modern homesteads.

This is what I'm going to do from now, until whenever.  I am going to look into the past for you and post it here and look for the old wisdom that can be applied to today.  This is something of value that, I think, all homesteaders can appreciate.  I know that I will benefit from this.  So, join in and tell all your homesteading friends to come along.  I think this will be a fun ride.

I can't promise a new post every day, but I will try to be more diligent for you.  At some point, I am even thinking of putting together an email news letter on this subject.  If you are interested, leave a comment and we can talk.  I am going to leave this up for a while so, for new posts scroll down.  Thanks for stopping by.

Cedar Cove Farm

Farming In Colonial Times From 1610-1775

This is interesting.  We have all heard about this sort of thing in history class, or did we?  Did you know that until 1860 the vast majority of Americans lived on a farm?  Read this quote from Conservapedia on early American Agriculture,

"Colonial farming: 1610 - 1775


Plantation agriculture, using black slaves, developed in Virginia and Maryland (where tobacco was grown), and South Carolina (where indigo and rice were grown. Cotton became a major plantation crop after 1800 in the "Black Belt," that is the region from North Carolina in an arc through Texas where the climate allowed for cotton cultivation.[1]

Most farms were subsistence, producing food for the family and some for trade and taxes."

What I want to focus on is the last statement.  Subsistence farms, is there a lesson for the modern homesteader in this?  I think there is, the first focus of a homesteader/small farmer should be to provide for the family with his own land, much like they did in colonial times.  It never made much sense to me, growing up in the "Dairy State" of Wisconsin, to see local dairy men buying their milk at the grocery store, then going home to milk the cows.  Seems illogical to me.  Early farmers farmed for their own first, then sold what was left.  I think too many of us, today, get that backwards.

Preparedness On A Budget-A Rifle

Now I want to mention a little on a good rifle.  To all the pureists out there, I just want to say, again, that I think military surplus exceeds in many ways.  If not for mil-surp, I would not have a rifle.  A good rifle can be expensive. 

The first thing you need to think of is, what are you going to use the rifle for?  Is it purely to fend of bad guys (you know who you are) from a distance?  Are you going to use it for food gathering?  Home defense?  Car gun?  Ask yourself these things before you decide what to buy when it comes to caliber and size of the rifle.  Undoubtedly, you need a good rifle.

There are so many in the way of mil-surp rifles, that I won't spend time talking about all of them.  I will go with, for the purpose of this post, what I think is a great, all around rifle, the SKS.

The SKS can be had for, around, $300, some more, some less.  It depends on the condition.  This is snother weapon that has grown in popularity and short in supply which has affected the price.  About 10 years ago, one could be had for $150.

The cartridge is 7.62x39 and is readily available all over.  Most name brand ammo manufacturers make this round.  Of course, you will pay much more for Remmington and Winchester and Hornady ammo than you will with mil-surp such as, Wolf or Brown Bear.  Something to consider is that if you plan to re-load, you will have to stay away from Brown Bear and some Wolf because they are steel cased, not brass.  But 1000 rounds can be obtained from Cheaper Than Dirt for $240.

These guns fire every time and can be modified for high capacity magazines.  You might find one at a gun show already done.  It will take down a deer and is fun to shoot.  This can be obtained for a small investment, on a budget.  If you're like me you don't have a ton of cash.  So, look into these great rifles.

WEIGHT: 8.8 lbs.


BARREL : 20.34 inches

LENGTH: 40.16 inches

MAGAZINE: 10 round, fixed, staggered double row box

FRONT SIGHTS: Hooded post

REAR SIGHTS: Tangent leaf, graduated from 100 to 1000 meters

CALIBER: 7.62 x 39 Soviet M43

BORE DIAMETER: .301 inches

RIFLING DIAMETER: .311 inches

RIFLING: 1 turn in 9.45 inches RH

BAYONET:

Hotshot Is Home

Well, yesterday we took a trip, east and picked up HotShot.  He is a cute gelding paint that my daughter saved her money to buy.  He is finally home and adjusting well.  Abbie is in love.  I think she has brushed him twice each day he's been here.  He will not lack for attention.

I must say that this turned out to be an excellent homeschool lesson on stewardship, responsability, frugality, diligence and obedience.  Abbie has demonstrated discipline in saving for three years for this moment.  I was very proud to watch her as she handed over the money for some brushes and a halter, then to pay for the horse.  She even has some left over.  So, here is a picture of Hotshot.

Happy Independence Day!

If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained _ we must fight!" Patrick Henry


"(T)he foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; ...the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained..." George Washington, First Inaugural, April 30 1789



"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams

"Let us therefore animate and encourage each other, and show the world that a free man, contending for his liberty on his own ground, is superior to any slavish mercenary on earth." George Washington, July 2, 1776

Indepenence Day-Continued

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and

his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later, he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more.