The Crisis

Probably the crisis in America to which almost every other ill can be traced is the absence of fathers in our families. Why doesn't our democracy work properly now? -The absence of fathers. His role can not be over stated: (from The Thinking Housewife via Jeff Culbreath

The ideal citizen in any high-functioning democracy is the father. He is more important politically than the mother; more important than the young man without children or the single woman; more important as a type than even the property owner. If I were to build an infant republic, I would limit the franchise to fathers, possibly making ownership of property an additional qualification.

.....For a woman, the world is too personal and parochial; she seeks security first. For the man without children, the future is sterile; even property or personal wealth will not make him care for those who will live many decades from now. The father is more apt to possess both public-spiritedness and loyalty, dispassion and compassion.

Oremus pro invicem!

What a glorious week full of blessing-too numerous to account. Praise God!

We have heat! After heroic efforts by my sons, the flue system in the chimney was taken down and a new Class A chimney installed. The potbelly stove arrived and was hooked up. As our Thanksgiving guests can attest-we have heat.

Our sow Sal gave farrowed last evening, giving birth to 13 live piglets. These piglets are the composite of the best of our herd. We are very excited about them.

Thanksgiving week was eventful with loads of work early and loads of fun late. Our turkey had not quite reached full size, so we supplemented the 14 pounder by adding a duck to the mix. Not much leftover turkey, but it was good and tender.

Our annual Turkey bowl with the boys ended in a tie. But Saturday everyone got in on the action. Mrs. Curley threw the winning touchdown pass to number one son (over my head and my coverage) to pull out a victory. Lots of fun.

We had several special visitors this year, but most special was having my Mom here at the homestead for the first time. She didn't hold any piglets, but she provided much joy, laughter and warmth to our holiday. (And just to avoid any confusion, my Mom was NOT the Mrs. Curley who threw the touchdown pass.)

Now to Advent!

Oremus pro invicem!

Here is my latest at http://www.catholiclane.com/ .

In other news, my town recently had a town council election. Living outside town limits, I do not get a vote, however the election reports were very interesting. The article stated that the top vote getter received 78 votes. The last sentence in the article stated that there were 73 registered voters. A misprint? or small town voter fraud?

Oremus pro invicem!

Waiting over

Mabel calved Friday night around 9:35 PM - a bull calf. She licked him and licked him. We got in there and dried him off a bit too. It was really cold out. I think it got down to 28 F that night. We saw him stand, but we went in before he found her udder. Saturday he couldn't figure out how to get milk out of the udder until late in the afternoon. We tried to teach him or get him to drink from a bucket, but he is a slow learner.

Harry the sow farrowed Saturday afternoon. We think she had 13 live births, but will confirm this morning. The sun was going down as she was finishing. Harry is a trooper. I think this is her fifth litter. We raised her from a weaner.

The other things we are still waiting for. The boys are manually taking the masonry flue out of our chimney so the new Class A chimney can fit. We are hoping to finish the installation and have heat by Monday night ....

Oremus pro invicem!

Blarney

The difference between blarney and baloney via Fulton Sheen (paraphrased):

When meeting for the first time a woman of 40ish:

Baloney: You don't look a day over 18!

Blarney: Tell me your age so I know that age when women are most beautiful!

Another way he puts it:

Blarney is flattery so thin you love it. Baloney is flattery so thick you hate it.

Oremus pro invicem!

Waiting

.... for Mabel to calve (due on the 10th, but nothing yet).

....for Harry the sow to farrow-any day now, but not overdue.

... for my wood stove to come in (due tomorrow), but first we have to finish installing the chimney and masonry.

... for the peanut harvest to end-making progress everyday, but the frost last week hurt the hay yield.

*******************

This weekend we started the simple chore of replacing our front door with one given us. The new door had a window which will hopefully lighten our electric bill and bring some much needed sun in on cold winter days. Alas, we found a whole lot of old termite damage. But there was a hidden blessing. After ripping out all the damaged wood, we had an opening large enough for a double front door. What's more, someone else had given us a set of double French doors which were sitting idle in the garage. So while the job isn't completely finished, the doors are in and so is a lot of light. Thank God for hidden blessings and generous, helpful neighbors!

Oremus pro invicem!

Feeding Hogs Dairy

From Pork Production (1928 by William Smith):

The by-products of the dairy are more highly prized by hog-men than perhaps any other form of protein supplement. The value of skim milk and buttermilk is such as to make pork production a valuable adjunct to profitable dairying when either of these products are available for swine feeding.

...or in other words 4.18 pounds of milk had the equivalent of 1 pound of corn. (for weight gain-ed)

We don't feed our hogs much pure corn. However, an added incentive for feeding milk is the taste of the pork. The pork from hogs feed milk as a supplement has a sweet creamy taste not found elsewhere.

Oremus pro invicem!

I am not a hippie!

Here's my latest: http://catholiclane.com/is-agrarianism-just-for-hippies/.

Oremus pro invicem!

Why Peanuts

I have mentioned frequently we are harvesting peanuts from 4 acres leased from our neighbor. Why peanuts? Here are some reasons from Practical Farming For the South (1944 by B.F. Bullock):

Peanuts belong to the great soil-building legume family, and are one of the most useful crops grown on American soil. ... Peanut hay that has been properly harvested and handled in a way to preserve the leaves will rank along with any of the other legume hays as a high class roughage for dairy cows. Hogs will develop more rapidly on peanuts than on any other single crop grown on the average farms. ... Chickens are also very fond of peanuts and will thrive on them. In fact every creature on the farm, from the children to the watchdog, likes peanuts and will thrive on them if not permitted to eat too many.

So there you have it.

Now remember to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory everyday, but especially during November.

Oremus pro invicem!

A Modest Proposal for our Economy

So what about the “Occupy X” movement? Granted there seems to be all sorts of people there without a real focus other than ‘down with corporate greed’. I am not going to argue the merits or lack thereof of the variety of complaints and participants. But I do think the “Occupy” movement and the Tea Party movement considered together are signs of discontent not really seen across middle-class America in some years. The Republicans’ (partial) embrace of the Tea Party and disdain for the Occupy may be a serious political mistake. At the same time both movements don’t bode well for the current administration either. If the Republicans nominate someone who looks like he’s in bed with corporate/financial America, Obama will win a second term. If however they can come up with a viable candidate at this late stage who can come up with a jobs plan which isn’t merely an increase of taxes on the poorest and a decrease of taxes on the wealthiest (think “9-9-9” and “Flat Tax”) then they may capture the imagination of worried Americans. Under the current conditions, both parties will come out losers in the long-term regardless of the outcome of the 2012 election unless there is a clear break from the past.

America is discontented. We only know one system, and we know it is broken for most of us. The issue is jobs. Manufacturing jobs continue to go overseas. Trade jobs (with a few notable exceptions like plumbers and electricians) have disappeared as people will settle for cheaper but almost disposable goods, for example shoes. Small shopkeepers have disappeared as they can’t compete with big box stores who get cheap (and disposable) imports from overseas. Small farms have disappeared as government regulations and government subsidies for big Ag have made it practically impossible for small farmers to make a living. College education has become high class and high expense job training. In the current economy graduates carrying $40K to upwards of $100K of student loan debt can’t find jobs. Increasingly, the low paying service economy is the only remaining option for many Americans.

No national candidate is proposing a turnaround to this trend. Even if we pull out of the current recession, the future is not bright. But we can turn this around. It may take some time and struggle and sacrifice, but we can arrive at an economy where a family can earn an honest and rewarding living and have greater control over their life and destiny. The modest proposal is not a quick fix, but a journey, a process towards a more just economy.

Returning manufacturing to America can be achieved through the introduction of tariffs on imported goods. These tariffs must be steep enough to allow American manufacturers compete with cheap imports while paying living wages for workers. Some may argue that trade wars may erupt, hurting our economy. However, the loss of manufacturing in this country is a worse fate.

Encourage the creation of small businesses, both retail shops and manufacturing endeavors by tax policy. The lowest taxes will be levied on small businesses. If a business expands to multiple locations, surtaxes are levied. As a company expands to locations outside its original region, more surtaxes are levied. These measures will allow local and regional businesses. Employee owned businesses would also enjoy a lower tax burdens. These tax policies will encourage both small, local retail businesses and return viability to local craftsmen and trades. Small manufacturing endeavors will also be encouraged to flourish. Jobs will be created which provide real living wages to owners and employees and invigorate local and regional economies. As businesses grow and become more profitable they can expand, but will contribute more to the community as their profits rise.

End government subsidies to large (factory) farms and big Ag. Restrict FDA regulations to where they are needed, i.e. the large farms. Let the free market work locally. Locally grown food will be fresher, tastier and safer. There been numerous e coli or salmonella outbreaks in recent years which have affected millions of Americans, and which have been difficult to track because the infected food has come from miles and miles away from those who are affected. Local problems will affect less Americans and will be quick to track down. Enterprising small farmers will once again feed Americans good produce and meat while earning a living wage.

Government must begin to operate on the principle of Subsidiary. Federal and State governments should return control of education and other regulations to local communities and to the family. Surely there are areas where the State and Federal government has a role, sometimes a primary role, but family, town, and county authority should not be usurped unless necessary.

In all this local and regional economies can thrive. Trades can make a comeback and regulate themselves. Small shopkeepers and small farmers can make decent wages. College will not be the only ticket to be a property owner with a semblance of control over one’s life.

The local community will be strengthened. Small rural towns have seen an exodus of young people to cities where money and jobs are more plentiful. This weakens the family and thus the community and ultimately the entire country. One of our greatest challenges in America presently is the absence of fathers in family life. While there are many causes, one cause is the transient way we live with no job security and constant relocation. Extended family communities can be the glue to keep troubled families together.

Another benefit to more robust local and regional economies is a lower consumption of energy resources.

The modest proposal hasn’t covered all aspects of economy and society; it is a proposal seeking more ideas and discussion. There are aspects which may be hard for some to adjust to. The plan requires a national will to become less of a consumption society. While it proposes more and better jobs, with better wages and more control for most Americans, at the same time, many goods will be more expensive. However, these goods will be made to last.

In America we value the ownership of private property. This has become to mean that we own our own home. But few of us really do, as many have found out in recent years. Ownership of private property also should mean that we own the means to production, that is that we really own our homes and for as many people as possible our own source of employment, whether it be a private business or as a shareholder in a larger business. Our economic system has come to a point where workers are merely tools for greater profit, to be acquired or discarded as the quarterly numbers dictate. Workers have a dignity which is not respected by too many corporations. Corporations must remember that they exist not just for profits but to provide fulfilling work and wages for their workers.

This is not just an economic plan, but also a spiritual plan for the human person.

Oremus pro invicem!

My first piece at Catholic Lane is up today. While we should remember to pray for the holy souls in purgatory every day, November is dedicated to this spiritual work of charity.

Here's the intro:

I lost my Dad in 1999. He was a wonderful father and certainly considered by all to be a good man. He and my Mom passed on their love of God and love of the Faith to me. As a Catholic, I knew about Purgatory; that place or state where a soul which dies in God’s grace, but is not completely spotless must work off the punishment due to confessed sins and unconfessed venial sins. While my Dad was a knight in shining armor to me, it was also probable, or at least possible, that he was doing time in Purgatory. The thought that he may be suffering inspired in me the deep desire to relieve that suffering.

Read the rest here .

Oremus pro invicem!

We started harvesting our 4 acres of peanuts last week. We have a long way to go. Rain this week delayed progress. Some of the peanuts are not ready yet, but others have begun sprouting prematurely due to the excessive rain (finally) we've had the past few weeks.

The whole family participates. Some of us dig the peanuts with pitchforks, lifting the plants out of the ground and shaking the dirt. Others follow behind to find any peanuts left in the sand. Still others gather the plants and bunch them in groups of 10 plants, while another binds the bunches for hanging. Near the end of the session, we load them into the truck and bring them to wherever we are going to hang them for drying.

The plants dry for 2-4 weeks and then the peanuts are separated from the hay.

There's much work to be done. We still have to winterize the barn, fence two new areas for the Jersey cows (one is due to calf in a few weeks). With all the rain we've had, the fall garden is looking pretty good with broccoli, rutabagas, radishes, collards, mustard greens, turnips, and carrots.

Now back to work. Oremus pro invicem!

Picked up some turkeys on Saturday. A Bourbon Red Tom who is about 15-18 pounds and two bronze turkeys (tom and hen) who are about 12 weeks old. We may pick up another couple next weekend.

We were ready for them as we built the pen on fresh ground earlier in the week. This is the first year in a bit where we haven't raise turkeys from day-olds, so we are happy to be back in turkey again.

We may keep the bronze's as a breeding pair for next year, but who knows?

In other homestead news, our first Jersey is now dried off-anticipating freshening in early November.

We have greatly down-sized our hog herd, but our sow Sparta had a litter a few weeks ago. Even though we know of no red hogs in her ancestry, she had one red/white-belted piglet. We had been hoping for a red hog for several years out of one of our red sows (now sold), but no luck. Now we have one by surprise.

Am starting some new projects and hope to be posting more often in the coming weeks and months, but that's all for now.

Oremus pro invicem!

We've been raising Muscovy ducks for over a year now. We initially bought some 5 week-old ducks at a local small animal auction. They haven't been so prolific as we were led to believe, but we have had some clutches hatch and have had duck on the table and in the freezer. In fact I found a recipe for a sage duck sausage I am yearning to try.

We (or should I say Number 1 son) built a new duck pen last week. We planted greens in their old pen so we can turn them back when they use up the new pen. We've lost a few to fox (we believe).

Here's a picture of some of the ducklings.

Oremus pro invicem!

For months now I haven't been able to answer comments on my own blog. So, I will answer the comments to the post below here.

Regarding the quote: in many respects life on the farm or homestead (as is more accurate) presents many diverse challenges requiring humor, prayer, ingenuity, energy, perseverance, and the ability to adjust. However, at the same time I don't favor dull priests, doctors, and so on.

I have yet to dry up, (drought, 3 weeks of good rain, then drought again) but so much to do that all my writing is in my head and never hits the page. It has been a very challenging month, losing one of our milk cows, selling much of the hog herd, etc. But there has been much good (all is blessing). We had a litter of piglets last week (finally a red pig.) We are painting the house and have some other serious projects in the works. Not much time to get all the thoughts in my head onto the page.

This year the family is re-instituting "writing night" where we will write essays, poems, etc. on various topics. Perhaps I can get some of those unworthy thoughts posted.

God bless you all. Oremus pro invicem!

Wisdom of yesteryear

Clipped from The Agrarian Nation:

Of all the callings to which man has ever turned his attention, farming requires the most actual practical experience. The custom in the New England states in the olden time, as it is said, of sending the dull boys to college, and putting the bright ones to work on the farm, was a sensible one. A boy of ordinary mind can be educated to the standard of the so called learned professions, but it takes a bright brain and an energetic hand to manage the soil as to make it a willing, profitable servant. [1885 Maine Farmer's Almanac]

We were talking our livestock today, and I commented how interesting it was that the craft of taking care of livestock is called "husbandry". I wonder if there's some kind of connection ....

On the feast of the Queenship of Mary ... Oremus pro invicem!

Prayer of Thanksgiving for graces received from the Infant Jesus

I prostrate myself before your holy image, o most gracious infant Jesus, to offer you my most fervent thanks for the blessings you have bestowed on me. I shall incessantly praise your ineffable mercy and confess that you alone are my God, my helper, and my protector. Henceforth my entire confidence shall be placed in you ! Everywhere I will proclaim aloud your mercy and generosity, so that your great love and the great deeds which you perform through this miraculous image may be acknowledged by all. May devotion to your most holy infancy increase more and more in the hearts of all Christians, and may all who experience your assistance persevere with me in showing unceasing gratitude to your most holy infancy, to which be praise and glory forever. Amen.

It's been a looooong time since my last post. Can't catch up with everything, but here's a quick list:

Number One son graduated from high school; learned how (2X) to really BBQ a hog; drought, drought, drought, pig weeds, pig weeds, pig weeds, heat, heat, heat, and finally some rain!; peanut yield will be low, but we'll have some; been listening to "Joyful Service" a CD recorded by the brothers of the Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) - great stuff; more hot dogs!; 1st attempt at Canadian Bacon - great stuff; okra starting to come in, Dixie-Lee peas (crowder) coming up, tomatoes been okay despite drought, most everything else burned up, including my "drought resistant" Swiss Chard; and of course pig news-have weaned 3 litters since last posting-many sold; have a litter due in a few weeks; bought a new Jersey milk cow named .... NewCow for the present.

So there you have the highlights.

Grain prices (thus animal feed) have gone up something like 60% in the past year. There's no way to make money in pigs unless you either grow your own feed or sell the meat. While we are investigating the latter (as it comes with all kinds of regulations), the former is our focus now in growing the peanuts. Even so, we are thinking of downsizing our herd-even as we were just getting up to the size we have been working towards.

Number One son spent a few weeks working and praying with the MOP in Monroe, NC after his graduation. While we missed him for those weeks, it also occasioned us to spend some time with the MOP brothers. Number One son's experience and our own has enriched the whole family.

Hope to check back soon. Often I read something or hear something on the news that I would like to expound upon here. But I am been doing more important things than spreading my "wisdom" here. But I will leave you with this which I culled from the Catholic Worker website. It is an "Easy Essay" from Peter Maurin:

Passing The Buck

1. In the first centuries of Christianity
the poor were fed, clothed, and sheltered
at a personal sacrifice
and the Pagans
said about the Christians:
"See how they love each other."

2. Today the poor are fed, clothed, and sheltered
by the politicians
at the expense
of the taxpayers.

3. And because the poor
are no longer
fed, clothed, and sheltered
at a personal sacrifice
but at the expense
of taxpayers
Pagans say about Christians:
"See how they pass the buck."

One comment I have heard (and I was reminded today when I read something TS posted here ) is that when as a society we let the government do our charity, we rob ourselves individually and as a society of the opportunity and obligation of doing God's work. I say what I mean poorly. Perhaps the following recollection of Stanley Vishnewski on his first meeting with Peter Maurin (grabbed from the Catholic Worker website with my emphasis) says it better:

I finally asked the question that was on my mind. "What is the purpose of The Catholic Worker?"

To this day I do not know what color his eyes were but I know that he looked at me more intently than anybody had ever looked at me before. Peter leaped up from his chair. He looked down at me.

"The purpose of the Catholic Worker," he said, "is to create a society where it will, be easier for men to be good. A society where each person will consider himself to be his brother's keeper. A society where each one will try to serve And to be the least. God wants us to be our brother's keeper. He wants us to feed the hungry at a personal sacrifice. He wants us to clothe the naked at a personal sacrifice. He wants us to shelter the homeless. To serve man for God's sake, that is what God wants us to do!"

Some things to think about ....

Oremus pro invicem!

Thank God for .... Pigweeds?

Turns out that pigs love pigweeds! And we have plenty to "harvest". Our peanut acres are overrun. But we are making progress. One day this week we fed our hogs over 50 pounds of pigweeds. But we have many more pounds to go.

Our sweet corn is going well. We either need one more good rain for the sweet corn or we will till and irrigate.

Now our field corn is stalled. This week we tilled, spread cow manure in the rows and then began mulching with old straw. This should keep the moisture in (if it rains-no way to irrigate this field) and keep the pigweeds suppressed.