Monday, May 30, 2022

Hello friends,

              Happy Memorial Day.  A time to remember those who gave their lives to keep us safe and secure.  We thank them.  It was a very windy day here.  Not a safe idea to put that traditional fire in the fire pit and roast hot dogs like we have in past years.  I remember years that the kids would beg to camp outside, and we would let them pitch the tents, roast over the campfire, and then they would sleep outside while Bill and I would go back in the house and sleep in our beds.  The best of both worlds.  Well, I do like camping, but it’s a lot of work after a long day.  I’m enjoying our deck now that we put some potted flowers out there for the wedding brunch.

              The cows are still enjoying all the abundant grass.  All the seed heads are waving in the wind, spreading their grass pollen everywhere.  Some people are sensitive and their allergies are in full swing.  Thankfully, it doesn’t bother me, but Bill has a little trouble.  He was out mowing today because the forecast is calling for rain and it may be a while before it dries out enough to cut again.  We were also out in the garden putting down old hay in the paths.  I would rather mulch heavily than pull and hoe weeds all summer…

They Are Married

Monday, May 23, 2022

Hello friends,

              They are married!  Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Max and Rachel Thooft!  It was absolutely glorious!  So many people worked very hard to make everything so perfect.  Almost an army of volunteers transformed the plain 4H building into a lovely reception hall complete with lots of flowers from several sources including peonies from our flower beds.  The church was packed out with friends and family and since Rachel is a talented worship leader, they had an awesome group of musicians and singers that lead us into serious praise and thanksgiving to God for all he has done and in particular, for bringing these two together.  If you go on Facebook, I have shared a portion that someone recorded.  Just awesome.  The reception was quite a party with EVERYONE dancing like they were doing aerobics!  The weather held out and they could open the big door, so it didn’t get hot.  The food was great, the fellowship was great, and all the memories put a sweet smile on my face and an emotional tear or two.  The brunch the next day that I confess was my point of stress, turned out so nice thanks to help from my daughter in-law Celia and Christin.  I am beginning to feel back to normal as we have put away a lot of leftover food, dishes, and bedding.  The house is full of flowers that just makes me smile.  Sigh!  It was awesome….

It’s Wedding Week

Monday, May 16, 2022

Hello friends,

              It’s wedding week!  Rachel’s bridal shower was Saturday, and the final preparations are being made for Friday through Sunday.  I have several lists running, and I’m checking things off.  Supplies are piling up in my basement and now in the dining room.  Why carry it down the steps?  My main goal for the beginning of this week is get all the CSA cheeses ready and making a batch of cheese tomorrow.  Also trying to get that garden planted while it’s not raining.  I WAS going to work on it yesterday, but as you noticed, it rained.  This afternoon I got two more beds prepared and finished planting the tomatoes, then put in the pole beans and cucumbers.  I figure that I have two more beds and some hills of melons to be done!  Then just weeding and mulching.

              Finally got around to making mozzarella!  Whew, it’s been a while and the tidbits I tasted were delicious!  We have been concentrating on the larger batches of  aged cheese to use up the volume.  The big vat can hold 75 gallons comfortably which ends up being 8 good sized rounds of cheese, unless it’s Asiago and you only get 7 rounds, a denser cheese.  We sold the last of the Feta so now that’s on the list to make.  Maybe after the wedding…..

Happy Belated Mother’s Day!

Monday, May 9, 2022
Hello friends,
I hope all the mothers out there had a very happy day! I know I did. The air conditioner went on last night and I am so grateful. There is still wood in the living room next to the woodstove because it wasn’t that long ago that a nice fire felt good. Welcome to the Midwest where we seem to have two seasons, winter and summer. After that 4.5 inches of rain last week, I am still waiting for the garden to dry out so I can get these tomato plant (bushes!) out of the dining room and into the soil. Everything can be planted now, but my little spring garden has barely had a chance to sprout before all the summer seeds go in the ground.
The asparagus is growing like crazy. Bill picked it twice today and got a good handful both times. He mowed most of the lawn but there is still an area on the downhill side of our septic laterals that is too wet to get the riding mower into. I still remember the time we got the mower stuck and had to get a chain and the tractor to pull it out. Crazy! The flowers are mostly off the fruit trees and little marble sized fruits are forming. Peonies are working hard at blooming now and I’m checking some of the buds to capture for the wedding. Less than two weeks now.
Speaking of the wedding weekend, I think we will be open on Friday the 20th until 3 and then Saturday the 21st, Rylee can sell Friday’s milk from 10 until noon. Then the store will be closed again until Monday. We are getting so much milk now that cheese making happens almost every other day. Obviously, I can’t make cheese during the wedding festivities so help me out and get as much as you can on the 18th through 20th, so we don’t have to waste much. I have resigned myself that we may have to dump some milk but help us to minimize that…..

Farm Tour Major Success!

Monday, May 2, 2022
Hello friends,
More rain. It seems like it almost dries out and then we get more rain. We finally got the garden tilled, and I planted two raised beds intensively. That means I have several rows of lettuce that will be transplanted in a triangular spacing for maximum soil space usage. Check out Jevon’s book on How to Grow More Vegetables in Less Space, or something like that, for the details. Even though we have 80 acres, I still garden intensively. The planting has stopped until it dries out a bit, even though the calendar says the last frost date has come and gone and I could literally plant the rest of the garden. We ate the first delicious meal with garden asparagus tonight. Yum!
The Farm Tour was a major success. We were SO busy; cars parked all the way down the driveway to the mailbox and tours running continually. Rylee did a great job all day, not only with chores while we got prepared, but ringing up sales, giving samples, and even explaining the creamery to folks waiting for us to start another tour. The cows were right up beside the creamery, initially because we needed that section eaten down, but in hindsight (God?) the best place for them to be on display during the tour. They loved the attention, and the people loved getting right up close to them. They were even looking in the creamery windows! I must say that Bill and I were tired when it was all done, although we had to go back out and milk. Even Rylee said she took a nap on Sunday. I think a good time was had by all. If you came for the tour and wanted milk, only to discover we sold out, we have more now!….

Linn County Farm Tour is This Saturday (April 30)

…..We are now milking nine cows, eight of which are milking to the bulk tank. The milk is markedly more yellow as the cows are consuming large quantities of grass from the pastures. This is the healthiest milk of the year so take advantage. We also are getting a lot more milk as that high octane grass is helping them produce almost double. Lots more cheese making! Just in time for garden planting time of year. Too much to do, not enough time. It’s this way every spring.
The fruit trees are in all their glory. The bees are very busy going from flower to flower, working their magic. We love bees! The asparagus is just starting, and the potatoes are coming up. All signs of spring.
This Saturday is the Linn County Farm Tour that I mentioned earlier. There are about 12 farms that you can go visit and many of us products available for sale that day. Bring your cooler if you think you might pick up some farm products that need to be kept cool. It starts at 9 and goes to 3:00 p.m. although we generally are not ready for customers until 10. We’ll either have to milk earlier, not my favorite, or show the process of finishing chores…..

Peach and Apple Trees in Bloom

Monday, April 18, 2022
Hello friends,
I hope everyone had a happy Easter…..
The peach and apple trees are blooming and so far have not suffered any damage from the cold weather. I haven’t planted anything in the garden yet, Bill still needs to till for me but he has been busy with other projects. We purchased a generator which arrived this morning and he needed to dig some post holes, fill with concrete, and soon it will be installed….

The Water System is On!

Monday, April 11, 2022
Hello friends,
The water system is ON! With the danger of a really damaging frost less likely, Bill has toiled to get that somewhat temperamental pump system working to bring water to all the paddocks. It was working just fine last fall when he turned it off, but somehow the intake was on the bottom of the pond and junk had gotten in the pump. After eliciting the help of a very talented friend, Ron, the two of them took it apart and finally got it pumping. Now the cows can have what they really want. Afterall, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and they have been complaining to us. When I go out to the hens, they follow me part way and moo at me because they want the grass where the chickens are. Sorry, no. They have been very aware that Bill has been trying to get the pump going and they have not been very patient. This evening, they got what they wanted, and they are happily munching the tender grasses in lane 11.
Linn County Farm Tour is coming up in two and a half weeks. If you have been wanting a tour, April 30 is the day. There are over a dozen farms participating and I’m actually a little jealous of you. I want to take tours of my neighbors’ farms too! It will run from 9 to 3 on a Saturday so you’re your calendar now. Check out this link to their VERY informative Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Linncountyfarmtour

More New Items at the Store

…..Won’t be long until Bill will be turning on the water system and letting the cows eat the growing grass in the rotational grazing lanes. Already they are not spending as much time eating hay because they are busy looking for tender green sprouts. It should make the milk start looking a little less white and a little more cream colored. That’s when it’s the absolutely most nutritious!
New items in the store this week are natural candles, cubes, and lotion bars from Rocky Sun Farm. Come check them out when you are here….

Animals Shedding Their Winter Coats

Monday, March 28, 2022
Hello friends,
After a week of soaking rain and bone chilling temperatures, we are finally drying out and getting some sunshine. Visitors to the farm comment about how they needed the rain, but we have been just fine on moisture this winter. When the grass is not actively growing, the rain doesn’t soak in the soil the same and it quickly turns to poggy mud where the cows walk. The ponds are all very full. In fact, the frogs are so happy. I am posting a little video capturing the melee of amphibian music. Look for it on Facebook or Instagram.
As the weather gets warmer or maybe it is daylight induced, the animals all shed their winter coats. Some of them are really nice looking, others go through a very shaggy, mangy phase first. As we milk and lean against the cows, all that fur likes to attach to our clothing. Argh! Anyone else have pets with this problem? When we get a cold snap, I’m glad the shedding is a rather slow process……

It’s Officially Spring!

Monday, March 21, 2022
Hello friends,
It is officially spring! Yea! The crocuses and daffodils are blooming, and those little things are falling off the maple trees. No, not the helicopter seeds, but some sort of leaf cover that litters the sidewalks and clogs the gutters, again. Yes, I cleaned out leaves from the front gutters last fall, but the rain is now pouring off the roof on the southeast corner of the house. Probably full of those little things. We tried to hire someone to put gutter covers on last summer, but the guy gave us an estimate, stopped by and said he would start the next day, and then we never heard from him again. I sure hope nothing bad happened, but it wasn’t very responsible.
Alas, I didn’t put the rain gauge out although there is probably no danger of it freezing. I would estimate that we’ve gotten about an inch of rain already. Pull out the rubber raincoat. I let the chickens out as usual, and they don’t seem to mind getting wet too much. Unlike ducks and other waterfowl, rain will not roll off a chicken’s back and they can get pretty soggy. Fortunately, they can go back in the house or under the house if they want. The draw to scratch around outside is very strong…..

More New Items in the Store This Week!

Monday, March 14, 2022
Hello friends,
Can you believe this roller coaster weather? Wow! Six inches of snow followed by 8° temperatures, followed by a total melting weekend. Normally I’m starting to look at that garden and thinking about poking some potatoes or onions in the ground. I would be afraid that a cold front could come in and freeze everything solid! This week I vow to get tomatoes and peppers started indoors!
The cows are shedding their winter coats, mainly around their face and neck. They still get excited when Bill puts out a new bale of hay and eat a big hole in the middle which eventually collapses. Yes, they waste a good amount of hay, but when the cows congregate around the hay feeder, they inevitably leave manure. The wasted hay gets mixed in and later the result is awesome compost. It also provides some soft places to lay down.
New items in the store this week! Saturday, I brought home elderberry products from Mindfully Made that I met at the Overland Park Farmer’s Market. Also, three flavors of lip balm and some Slow Cook Chai. All very healthy for you and your immune system! Then today the Kraut Lady brought me some fermented cabbage and had some tips on where to get other local items. Very yummy and healthy too!…..

Billie Jean Had a Girl!

Monday, March 7, 2022
Hello friends,
I was just enjoying the beautiful weather and being thankful. And then the wind brought winter back. In the creamery there are heat producing refrigerators and freezers that will keep the well-insulated building fairly warm in the winter. Unfortunately, they add quite a bit of heat when the weather is warm, and we literally had to turn on the air conditioner. The very next day, we had the heat on. Welcome to Kansas.
Billie Jean had her calf last Wednesday, or probably more accurately Tuesday night. She was obviously in the beginning stages of labor when we were milking Tuesday evening, laying down, getting up, laying down, getting up. When we got cows for morning milking, we only counted 16 when there should have been 17 and we knew we had to go find them. There they were in the lower 20, baby following momma. It’s a girl! Yeah! That evens the score to 4 males, 2 females out of the last 6 calves…..

Happy Last Day of February!

Monday, February 28, 2022
Hello friends,
Happy Last Day of February! With all the nasty weather in February this year, and actually last year too, I’m happy to announce that it’s almost over and March is looking up. Normally I’m a fan of the month because there are birthdays, anniversary, Valentines Day, and maybe a Chiefs Superbowl. It’s not spring yet, but there are a lot of birds migrating. Ducks and geese in particular. With the wildlife refuge close by, we get a lot of waterfowl flyovers. Soon!
Billie Jean is really starting to “bag up” in preparation for having her baby. The due date is March 11, but that is just a suggestion. Whether she’s early or late, we should get ready. Hopefully she will pick one of the warm sunshiny days that are in the forecast….

Again, the Snow Came, Hard!

Monday, February 21, 2022
Hello friends,
Again, the snow came, hard! And the snow left. It is so hard to believe it was so windy, snowy, and COLD, and then it just melted. Bill scraped the driveway with the bucket on the tractor, trying to make out where the gravel edge was. It was very helpful on Saturday when the melting really started. By Sunday, we noticed that Bill overestimated where the driveway went, and there are piles of gravel in the grass. Oops! After today, there is barely a trace of the 7 inches of snow. Maybe we’ll get some more this week.
The cows are enjoying the warmer weather, while it lasts. Believe it or not, there are green sprouts out there. Not very many, but enough that the cow spent a lot of time looking. We still have plenty of hay bales in the lot so even if spring takes longer than usual to arrive, we have plenty for the cows to eat. Billie Jean is the next cow due to calf on the 11th or so of March. She is already bagging out and feeling like she needs to load into the holding area where the milkers wait to be called. It won’t be too long, but hopefully she will get a nice spring-like day for birthing!…

Happy Valentines Day!

Monday, February 14, 2022
Hello friends,
Happy Valentine’s Day! Such a nice day for it too……
The store is getting more items every day. This week we added some pork jerky from Castle Farms here in Pleasanton, and honey from Jordy that I used to sell with at the Overland Park Farmer’s market. Pecans are coming this week, and soon the jams. I even put some of my Young Living essential oils on the shelf, the Paragize which is an excellent animal de-wormer, and the ever-popular Theives. At the same time, I am figuring out how to use the Square for inventory etc. It’s a real learning curve, but I am finding other small business owners who are giving me tips. Bill loves not having to figure out the prices!
Because not everyone reads every email, (life happens) I want to remind you not to just hit REPLY when sending me an email. Follow this link: skyviewcheese@gmail.com Do not use the GodsAcre email. They are not going through. Do be sure that you get a confirmation. If you don’t hear from me withing 24 hours, I didn’t get your message. And remember that you can text me if you don’t get a confirmation. 913-710-0587

New Reach In Refrigerator

Monday, February 7, 2022
Hello friends,
The snow came and now the snow is leaving……
We have a new reach in refrigerator in the creamery. After much deliberating and rearranging, we placed it on the north wall next the existing reach in. The rolling jar rack was taking up prime real estate in the store, so we have a new system. When you bring back your jars, they will go in boxes on a small rolling cart (when it comes). When we are ready to fill, we will bring them in from the make room, but the big cart won’t stay there. Meanwhile, we are adding a few more items to the store. Come and check it out…..
Oh, and I may still be having trouble with my email. So, please do not simply hit reply to the newsletter, follow this link. skyviewcheese@gmail.com And do not use the GodsAcre email. They are not going through. Do be sure to make sure that you get a confirmation. If you don’t hear from me withing 24 hours, I didn’t get your message. And remember that you can text me if you don’t get a confirmation. 913-710-0587

Always Get a Confirmation That I Got Your Order

Monday, January 31, 2022
Hello friends,
Lots of warnings about the impending weather! Bill is taking it seriously and preparing like crazy. Me, not so much. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. I guess the hype could be overdone and we’ll just have to see what happens. I have stewing hen vegetable soup planned for tomorrow night so that is the extent of my getting ready. Bill has been cleaning stalls and putting down fresh bedding, delivering extra bales of hay in strategic locations to the shelters, and making sure the water is full in the stock tank in case the cows can’t break ice in the pond. There is a pile of wood on the back porch now, covered with a tarp to keep it dry, or at least free from snow. I guess we’re ready.
Last week we had some trouble with our email, the GodsAcre@ckt.net to be specific. I can pick up the skyviewcheese@gmail.com from my phone, but the other one is from our internet provider Craw-Kan and it goes to the laptop. For some reason that my son could explain, I was not able to open the email program and he had to help me uninstall and reinstall the proper version of Office 365. It’s all better now but learn this: If you don’t get a confirmation of your order, assume that I didn’t get it. I missed a lot of emails last week! Plan B is texting to my cell: 913-710-0587. And Plan C is calling the land line and leave a clear message at 913-352-8727. We don’t have caller ID so if we can’t understand the call back number, we can’t call back. Technology is great only when it’s working!….

Beautiful Winter Sunsets

Monday, January 24, 2022
Hello friends,
I love the winter sunsets. There is something about the brilliantly red and orange sky with the silhouette of leafless trees that is just captivating. I don’t know if it’s the temperature or the lack of humidity, or both, but it is beautiful.
We are still milking seven faithful Jersey cows. Twice a day we bring them from pasture where they hang out all day with their hay, and we bring them to the milking parlor. They get a ration of non-GMO grain with minerals, and in return they give us delicious rich raw milk. Those seven cows: Petula, Wendy, Whitney, Vivian, Makenzie, Trixie, and Jane, are feeding so many people right now, not to mention three bottle calves. For the last 5 days straight, we have sold all the milk in the bulk tank with none to spare. That’s awesome. But I must warn you, there is a finite amount of milk during this season, so you should contact us before you come to make sure I’m not sold out. Ideally, we need to know by 10 p.m. the night before so we can plan ahead for washing and filling jars. If you want to drop in, we may or may not have enough milk, which is sad for both of us. I don’t like breaking the bad news, and you don’t like receiving it. The good news is that when spring grass comes, production increases, and we should have two more cows freshen…..

Smoked Gouda is Back in Stock

Monday, January 17, 2022
Hello friends,
…..
The County Zoning Commission approved our Conditional Use Permit last Tuesday which we figured they would. It allows us to sell other items besides what we produce and still retain the Agricultural zoning. Now we will get more serious about adding items to our little creamery store. We are open to suggestions if you have an excellent source for some local products that compliment our own products. I’m also looking to update my accounting system to keep track of what we are doing. Oh, the many hats that we wear!
Smoked Gouda is back in stock. Bill took advantage of the weather last week and spent time in the garage (with the doors open) smoking some cheese. It takes a little time to get it ready, arrange it in the smoker, and then keep careful watch that it doesn’t flare up. Just a thin blue smoke is all that is allowed. If it begins to flame, it will be ruined. Now it has been resting in the fridge to allow that apple wood smoked flavor to spread throughout the wedges of cheese. Finally, it is ready!….