Our society has become very specialized. We are told that most everything must be completed by a professional and that expensive, specialized training is essential before attempting most everything. We used to believe this paradigm, but not anymore. Our family is no longer fearful to try new things like growing, building, or fixing things that most people found necessary for survival not that long ago.

Throughout my education I received really good grades, but it wasn’t because I was learning the material or because I was a smart person. I simply learned how to beat the system. I’m ashamed to admit that I only read one book cover to cover in my public education. I learned to cram enough information into my brain, do well on a test, and then let the information go. It wasn’t until I started educating my own children that I realized, besides math, how little I knew. I have also learned that I’m not alone. I have visited with many people that had a similar experience. Even more shocking has been the people I have met that received poor or average grades in school that are really knowledgeable and wise. One thing I found in common with these “poor students” was that they did a lot of reading throughout their lifetime. Through this process of home education, I have realized that anyone can work hard to attain knowledge and wisdom even at a later age and how important it is to keep learning. We are mindful that Proverbs 1:7 states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” It is He who has given us a love for this wisdom, and I see that in each of my children.

The smell of spring is in the air, green grass is peeking up out of the ground, and the fruit trees appear to be ready to burst open with blooms. It’s time to start preparing for the growing season, hoping that all those plans that were made in the winter will turn out as well as we anticipate. We have several new ideas to try out this year, and hope to be offering even more products this summer. New goals have been established, and as we continue to do the work, we are mindful of an excellent quote from Thomas Edison, “Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.”

The farm is covered in a blanket of fresh, clean snow. The sun is shining, the air is still and cold, and the sheep, cows, and goats are lying together on a carpet of clean hay, chewing their cud, and quietly basking in the sun. They are rudely interrupted as I make the rounds to check and observe the health of everything, making a little extra noise to ensure two of the calves aren’t dead, because they are so relaxed. The chickens pull back some of the hay to discover what’s hiding underneath. Even the pigs have decided to sprawl out in the hay outside their shelter to enjoy the sun’s rays. They are oblivious to the impending blizzard. It is winter, and it’s days like this that make us excited for spring, but we know that the time will come too quickly, so we enjoy today and give thanks in all things. We also utilize this time to plan for the growing season and keep pushing forward on the house projects.

The month of December and January have been filled with babies, celebrations, and up and down temperatures that resemble a roller coaster ride here on the farm. On the days that felt more like spring, we hurried to finish some outside projects, while on those bitter, cold days we found ourselves solely focused on our inside work, performing the chores with greater efficiency, and adding wood to the fire more frequently.

For several years, we kids have been suggesting that we write a family Christmas letter. However, Mom, with the intention of doing so, has found that her schedule never allows her to do one. As a result, she proposed that we do it ourselves. Here is a glimpse into the Mentink family life.

While most people dream of vacations to the Bahamas or Disney World, I dream of visiting people groups that are living a more traditional lifestyle, carrying on the customs of their ancestors. That is why I was excited this month to be able to visit an Amish family at the Nebraska, Kansas border. I have always been fascinated by the simple, close knit Amish people. Along with this experience, we had some changes on the farm as we entered another season.

Our son Caleb has loved hunting since he was very young. Recently, Cory and I felt led to buy him a dog of his own to train up and assist with his passion. He takes care of the predators on our farm, and we pay him by the animal. We found what we were looking for in Pawnee, Nebraska at an Amish family’s home. Normally I wouldn’t make a long trip for a dog, but after praying about it, we decided to make a day of it. Since Cory had no extra time to come with us, the five youngest children and I headed for our destination with plans to stop along the way for a picnic lunch and a little exploration at the Homestead National Monument. This free museum surprised us with its rich history and abundant things to see and do. We were able to get a deep understanding of the hardships endured as people settled this wild country. I was fascinated by the videos that depicted how the farmers would clear the land, plant the fields, and finally harvest. We do a lot of hand work on our farm, but it made me so thankful for the technology that makes some of our work almost effortless.

Our time at the museum ended too soon and we were back on the road again. I had planned our route to Pawnee on a map at home, but relied on the GPS to get to their house. By planning our route and not following the GPS, I saved us 30 minutes. After going through Table Rock, we were led over an ancient, narrow bridge that I didn’t want to cross. With apprehension I crept over the bridge Continue reading “Farm Happenings in November 2018” →

The month of October started with our annual fall party and ended with a full day of chasing our bull through our farm, rearranging animals, and then putting up over 150 square bales and winter proofing our combine in the dark. Thanks to the rain and mild temperatures, all the animals are still on pasture and we are getting close with our winter preparations for them. We enjoyed several farm tours this summer and hope to continue growing our farm.

Several years ago, we started a tradition of a Fall Party. This year we all dressed up as someone from history and had to say a quote by this person. We all used things from around the house. Some of the kids did some sewing and others found items in our dress up box or closets. As everyone arrived in the living room there was great laughter. My husband was by the far the funniest with a few of the kids being pretty close. He had dressed up as Albert Einstein. He had placed arrowroot powder in his wild hair Continue reading “Farm Happenings in October, 2018” →

As the growing season comes to an end, we use this time to observe and reflect upon what worked well and what needs to be improved or changed next season on the farm. Over the last few years, after learning about permaculture, we have made a lot of observations and discovered a lot of wisdom and knowledge through this process. As Alena wrote in her Permaculture article, “Permaculture is working with nature instead of against it. It is also making thoughtful observations before putting useless labor into a project. Instead of thinking that things need to be done a certain way, permaculture is remaining open to new ideas.”

Over fifteen years ago, we bought our first laying hens. We were told by several well-meaning people that our chicks would die and suffer a terrible illness if we didn’t give them medications in their feed. Without hesitation Cory and I both agreed that the reason we were going to the work of raising chickens was to avoid medications and toxic feed. We were convinced that good quality feed, sunshine, green grass to forage on, and clean living conditions would produce healthy chickens. We took a risk and we are so glad we did. From our observations our chickens have thrived in these conditions and the flavorful eggs with dark yellow yolks speak for themselves. We have lost numerous chickens to predators over the years and a few here and there to unknown causes, but we will continue to strive to decrease these losses, and continue to improve our practices.

More recently, a new batch of piglets had scours. We were not aware of this until two very knowledgeable men walked in to see our new piglets one day at different times. They could both smell the trouble. We were told that our piglets would be dead by the next day if we didn’t medicate. My husband and I both knew that medication was not an option. We prayed and did a little research but didn’t find much for natural treatments. We decided to cut back on mom’s feed and give her extra apple cider vinegar in her water and extra kelp in her feed. The next day the piglets were alive and they quickly recovered. The farmers were so excited they decided Continue reading “Farm Happenings in September, 2018” →