I Admit It, We’re Weird

I haven't been able to concentrate on my writing in the afternoon. I'm kind of sluggish in the afternoon. No, I'm really sluggish in the afternoon. So that was me at 5:30 for, for 1 hour. And now I feel like I've gotten the creative work done besides this vlog. Let's go do that now. And then I'm good. Everything in the this afternoon office hours will be a bonus. Can we talk? Yeah.

And we'll go and clean out.

Thank you. Gotta get ready for the cold weather coming. Go clean out this— you look at me crazy, but it's supposed to snow tomorrow. So listen, all those rotten bales, where are you gonna put all the rotten hay bales?

Just throw it in with the cows so it turns into—

no, just put it out later.

Can we just pile it out? Throw it in with the cows, they'll poop on it and it'll like turn into compost for when we put out on the pasture with the—

uh, I'm afraid because it's moldy, but then will they breathe it?

It's so dry.

Is there room in there? Keep bedding for it. We're just going to raise up the hay. This is not a terrible idea because if we went ahead and put it on the field— I mean, that's another option, put it right on the field.

No, I was fighting with the cows. So then we put it in the little spreader thing, we can go and have more.

Okay, yeah, it'll be more composted and the field will take it better. You're supposed to have rollerblades in the house and a bike. Okay, who's gonna ride the track loader? Me. Josiah? And you're gonna be the jefe?

Yeah, I will make sure nothing's in the way.

Okay, you go back and forth on your bike. We got to get hay from the bass shed and put hay to the pole barn. It serves as a windbreak for the cows and the sheep. I've been trying to ride in the afternoon and it's just— so that's one reason for switching things up. It's a weight on me. I feel like I feel all this pressure in the morning and even in the afternoon to be like, "This is gonna cut into my writing time. I have to write this afternoon." Well, I got it over with this morning. Now I can breathe easy. Same thing with this. Every morning, Monday through Friday. Happy day. Welcome to the vlog. Another day in the life of a chicken tender. Getting ready for this. Cold weather coming in. Well, a cowboy too, and a shepherd, and a swineherd. Isn't what you call a pig tender? A swineherd. All right, getting the pallets up. There's a few good hay bales still in here. Loose hay put into the cows, rotten hay put into the cows. Option B for this hay, let's put it— just let's put it in our compost pile out there. I think I like that better, and it'll be easier because you don't have to put it over the railing, and then we don't have to worry about the cows breathing in the dust. Is that okay? Put in the compost pile? No, let's put it in the compost pile. That's getting kind of tall, and they have so much grass.

Let's just do the quickest thing.

I like it. So Jonah wants to pile it up right here. It'll be a big pile there, boys. I'm for putting it out here. It's going to end up out here anyway. All this material is going to have to be moved out here after the cows are done with it to be turned into fine compost.

Why aren't we just going to put it in the soccer field?

That's, that's an idea too. I guess if we put it in a compost pile, we could break it down more before we put it on the soccer field. But we could put it on the soccer field because the soccer field's bare right now and should be covered. The trough heaters worked last night. What? Did the boys not feed you guys? Task 1, getting ready for this cold weather. We're needing to do this anyway. We're to the point we're out of hay. Look at the bottom of this hay. This is because Hurricane Helene got all the way up here and flooded and just soaked the bottom layer of all this hay. That's lost hay bales, but we will, we will turn into compost, strings and all. I just thought of something. I guess don't bring more hay over here than we're gonna use, because when we go to cutting this excess Can y'all see that?

Wow, I'm standing over a ledge.

This, this has to be cut.

Let's just rent a jackhammer and—

well, we have a jackhammer, we don't even have to rent one.

It won't be that— it's not big enough. You think if we get like one for the skid steer, the excavator?

We could also rent a saw, but the point is, um, well, the animals or the hay cannot be in here. So what I'm saying is Don't bring more hay than what we're going to use. You want to help me throw these hay bales, Jonah? It is so cold. What happened? Yesterday was so warm. February es loco. February es loco. We also have to make sure our snowplow is coming. We haven't used it in years. Maybe this is the year. Did I say make sure our snowplow is coming? No, not coming. It's here. I meant to say working. There's something— oh, stay with me. Need firewood, check the generator, check fuel. All right, we got our good hay bales stacked up. Boys are eating breakfast. They'll come out and haul this to the compost pile. Very nice of you. You can't see it, but he's helping Lily get her hay bales. I kid you not, I came out here last night, a couple of these piglets were cuddling with Beefcake. Pretty good at that thing, huh? You are too. We got wind coming from the north, so— but they're going to be more comfortable if we have a shield here. They'll be fine, but they will be more comfortable. Always been different from early on, starting my own businesses, being an entrepreneur. Oddball. Secondly, We got into organics, should I say, even before it was cool, and people thought we were crazy. Home birth, we were absolutely bats. And by the time we were downsizing the farm and converting a converted school bus to travel all of America on the Great American Farm Tour, people had already written us off. Timeout. You want to go? Okay, well, we got to get pants and coat and toboggan. Henry! Here's your stuff. I guess you changed your mind. Anyway, where was I? I don't remember, my battery died. Homesteading too was a weirdo thing, and we've been doing this for 20 years. It wasn't a normal thing, uh, homeschooling, but everything that we've done that has been different has ended up being a blessing.

When you start down an alternative path, but an unorthodox you know, an unorthodox journey, the road less taken, you know, whatever you want to call it, and you find it satisfying, you say, whoa, this is pretty cool, then the next step is, well, what else have I been missing? What else is the normal path that I wish I hadn't been on?

We're gonna pile up this rotten hay. The combination of of water. We got to get some chickens on it, turning it. We'll turn this into compost and it'll be better received by our field. Is he done? Let's go check their job. I'm going into the New Year's launch for Abundance Plus and thinking, well, what's different about it that's good that I've created for you guys, for us, is one, what's not a book. So it goes further visually, conceptually, And, uh, it's interactive. You can interact with other people, you can interact with me. What's going to happen to that when you put it out there?

It's just gravel and hay.

Are you sure? It looks like, it looks like topsoiled compost to me. Needs to stay flat up here because it has to be for a truck. The truck has to be able to come unload hay. Now I think Josiah is going to get hay to put back in here. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good book. Books have their place. That would be the second thing that's different about Abundance Plus. This round, New Year's registration, we're giving a book, $30 towards a Joel Salatin book. Who's doing that? We're the interaction of a virtual platform, a community, and now a physical book when you sign up by Friday. I gotta say, this is all that was left over from our hay for the winter. Thank you, Hurricane Kelly, and the people who donated hay. I call her Hurricane Kelly. She, she's a coordinator for getting donated hay. They donated this hay. We'd be up a creek right now without a paddle. So we lost a good third of our hay supply. Next up, snowplow. Are these the right size? We'll see. That's what holds our snowplow. Yeah, okay, that's it. Now then, we need a hook.

That's where they were stored until I needed them.

Do we have a chain hook? We have to be able to hook that to the snowplow. That, that's what lifts the snowplow.

Run to Lowe's then and get a chain hook.

Well, Mom's going to town. I'll put that on our list. Homestead trip to town means like 4 or 5 places. Lucky wouldn't start. Why not? Was it left on? It's dead. It's been a minute since we used this thing. And you know, if I get it fixed, it won't snow. We hook into this with the winch, and the winch lifts this thing up and down. All right, there it is. Mom's going to town. Let's sneak in there, gentlemen, and, uh, warm up her car. Our extra heart. Just testing it out, warming it up. Did we leave Lucky on, or do you think it's just butt cold? I certainly forgive Lucky for not starting on a day like today. Hey, what's the key in this position? Uh, no. And it was left on if it was. Okay, we'll shut you.

It's scary.

Hey, why is there a crescent wrench on that? It's not where it goes. It's stuck. Hey, better warm up. That's great, we got Lucky started. This has been sitting in here— did I say months? And our truck hasn't been in in here. George Fowler would be rolling in his grave. He didn't have anything in his garage but vehicles. Let's do it. Leftovers from the Homestead Build Sale. There's not much to it, and besides, it's so cold outside, this is kind of a little warm nook. The animals have a windbreak and more hay. The fry duty. You guys like your duty? No, it's okay. Potato cutting fry duty. What about eating them, dudey? I don't really like sweet potato fries. Oh, you don't? Poor thing. Are you quite the boss there on your phone while these boys do your cooking? Oh, okay, you're editing. All right, that passes, right, Austin? Somebody's got to do it. Pigs get the sweet potatoes just straight up, not like white potatoes. Pigs will eat sweet potato skins uncooked. I'm gonna go see what they've done. I think they're framing. Check out Jonah's progress on his cabin. They've been framing today, I think. Randolph, how's it going with your carpenter friend? I got him a certified cut man now. Good. Yeah, you even gave him a tool belt. Yeah, man, that's his official— since he's a new homeowner, that's his new tool belt. Heck yeah, you guys have already framed out the master bedroom closet, bathroom, and then now you're working on the closets in the other room. Beautiful one making the tzatziki. We haven't had that in a while. I didn't make it too like runny because it's gonna go on the burgers. That's a good idea, burger sauce. Lily's making sweet potato fries. Looks like these might be done, Birdo. I am making the lamb. Burgers. Uh, Lily made some buns.

Spilled it like, sog.

Oh, okay. Look at your burger. How is it?

I don't know, I'm gonna eat it right now.

Let's see it. It's a sloppy one.

Mmm, that's good.

Mmm. Weird angle at this time of year.

It's terrible.

Yeah, I see you got the chalkboard. I don't have that chalkboard. Okay, happy day wherever you're at.