I hope everyone had a great Christmas this year.  I know I did.  After going to McClurg Monday night, we left our house (after a quick stop there to put more wood in the stove and switch vehicles) to head to Independence Missouri, the time was 11pm.  By the time we got fuel and stopped a few times to shake off the overwhelming force of shut eye, we made it to my moms’ place at 4am on Tuesday. The next day brought about errands to get this and that for dinner at two locations (moms’ place and my Grandmothers’ place). Though it was a bit hectic, I was able to maintain my composure and ensure cooperation for the many activities that transpired the days before Christmas and on Christmas.

I particularly, feel bad for my sister who had to drive from Ohio to Missouri on Wednesday to only get stuck in Indiana for 9 hours.  She ended up having to stay the night there and leave the next day due to the ice and snow storm that blew through there the day she left.  Finally Tuesday she was able to make it here and a 10 hour trip from Ohio turned into an 18 hour trip and that’s not including the time she slept in a hotel.

Christmas was very exciting this year.  I have been looking at a particular item for a number of years (2 or 3 not sure) and have wanted to get it but couldn’t afford it.  This Christmas, I got it!  It is a grain mill by Lehman’s and it will grind anything I desire to grind.

Feed for animals, Flour for bread, peanuts for peanut butter and countless other reasons can be made from this mill.  Now that I have the grain cleaner, the grain mill will be a great partner to it. I also received the “The Bread Builders” book that discusses how to make bread with natural yeast and in a wood fired oven.  In grazing through the book, I have seen enough to believe the person to complete the reading and understand what is written, will have gained a Doctorate in bread making. This book has it all!

This next fall I am hoping to do a post on the process of creating bread from the field to the table and everything in between.  I have plans for sorghum, wheat, and barley to be planted in plots.  I do need to repair the grain cleaner to get it completely functional but it is not far from functional right now.  I hope that a small amount of time invested in the summer between planting and harvest (of the grains) will provide me the time to work on the cleaner.

I received a few other great books.  I received, “Living without Electricity” and “Root Cellaring”.  I have finished “Living without Electricity” and found it to be a good book to give me a few new Ideas but not a lot. Most of it I already knew.  The most interesting thing about the book was in understanding why the Amish do what they do.   I am currently reading “Root Cellaring” and I am half way through it.  I really like the information therein and believe that it will be very helpful to building the root cellar this summer and fall.

Before I can begin the root cellar project I must finish the barn.  At this point, it has not budged in progress from my last post. The roof is finished but the siding is not on yet.  I am waiting for my funds to be available to buy the material.  If I had logs, I know where I could get them cut for very little, but at 3.5 acres, there’s not much room for logging.

Speaking of land, we were planning on selling this spring in order to purchase more land and begin the farm of our dreams, but due to the lack of savings and the economy in the dumps (translation: no one will probably buy our house) we are leaning (but not completely decided) ever stronger towards staying here another year, if not longer.  We had thought about renting this place and going out to find land, but vacant land will require a 20% down which we do not have.

So we will keep praying for direction and hope God leads us where he wants us.  I am trying to be submissive to His will rather than mine, though it’s hard to tell where His will starts and mine ends or visa versa.  I am trying to use knowledge and wisdom as well as be prepared to do things that “Man” would not call wise but may be in the will of God.  I know that this is a slippery slope but at least I have made a few slips already and maybe it will help me to walk with more caution in the area of Wisdom vs. Self-Will.

Merry Christmas everyone.

PS.  I have finished the Deer Processing Section you can view it under the Homesteading Skills section.

PSS. I also found a really good Article at Lewrockwell.com about how free markets ensured the survival of Jesus in bethlahem.  It was a good article, it was short, and I recommend that you read it.

Jeremy and Brandy Myers