Summer Catch up 2020 

It seems the last day of normal our family can recall was March 12, 2020 in the sugar camp with family, friends and neighbors. What a bizarre journey this year has been. We are thankful that our lives predominantly revolve around outdoor activities!

Cleaning up sap buckets remains on the least

 

favorite list and is even a little tougher when trying to avoid groups of people. Brad washed some during the day and Katie and Adam came a couple of evenings with Evan and Kelsey working opposite evenings. We eventually accomplished the goal before spring planting.

Water was the theme for May! 

This photo was taken on May 15th and perhaps explains why Mike Hamer was not out in this field planting corn that day. Much of May was like this here in northern Ohio. 

Evan and Kelsey purchased not one but TWO small flocks of sheep in early May! They sweet talked Bryan, Katie and Adam into a fence building weekend. The sheep have a lot to say any time they make eye contact with anyone! They are very thankful Braxton has refrained from letting the sheep out, as he has teased about this one too many times.

Memorial day weekend we were blessed to have a visit from Cody and Amy from Kansas. It was a rather wet and cold weekend. Our big outing for the weekend involved a trip to the pond and a boat ride for aunt Dorothy with Kelsey and Amy!

Brad was lucky enough to go to Kansas for a couple of weeks to be a temporary employee of  the Stroberg Cattle Co. (and slave to his brother). Brad's male relatives in Ohio were jealous as they all wanted to go!! He genuinely enjoyed trucking wheat to ADM in Hutchinson and seeing how wheat harvest works on a larger stage. Educating Cody's coworkers on secrets about him, shattering the back window out of a semi tractor at full speed on the interstate (rock vs window...rock won) and learning that anywhere that suits your fancy is a crossover into a field in Kansas were the highlights of his trip. (And apparently he was very well fed!)

No fourth of July fireworks or parade for our family this year. So for fun...we cleaned out a barn! 

The weekend actually did begin with fireworks...all spewing out of Cody...at 3:30 am on July 3rd he called his dad for a rescue pick up as BRAD was driving the three home from Kansas and "smoked a raccoon" blowing out the radiator in the car. They made it as far as Gibsonburg. If you are thinking that Gibsonburg is not on the usual route, you are correct. Brad was a little sleepy, missed a turn, got a speeding ticket, then hit the raccoon. Rough start to a busy weekend.....Changing out the radiator was an unplanned fun event for the weekend as well!

Back to the barn......this building is what our family refers to as the "Old Shop". We estimate that this building was put up about the same era as the original farm house circa 1860. The family goal....rather Brad and Cody's goal, .....is to tear down this small 28 X 40 foot barn with the dream of one day rebuilding it for a small workshop. All the while... making room for a building to store our syrup supplies! 

This building apparently was a wood and blacksmith shop, containing among many things.. a forge and anvil, as well as an early workbench and lathe. Jack states that he was always told that his grandfather remembered the anvil coming to the farm on a horse drawn wagon. 

There was rigging in the ceiling for a pulley system that ran some of these tools, powered by a steam engine stored in an attached shed. This is a picture of removing some of the equipment from the ceiling. 

Needless to say it took the better part of an entire weekend to clean the contents out of the barn and sort for storing or scraping. There is a very fine line between trash and treasure. "What do you suppose this was used for?" was the most FAQ for the 3 days. The end of the 3 days found the building pretty much bare bones empty and the humans tired and dirty.

We cleaned up a few downed trees and made some mulch for the flower beds and tidied up the camp building a bit. While both boys were home they lifted the pans out of the evaporator....better late than never! 

July turned out to be as dry as May was wet. The row crops here certainly suffered this year secondary to this turn in the weather. 

In August Bob and Gerri decided to make a run to Sugarbush supply in Okemos, Michigan for syrup jugs and bottles . It turned out to be a gorgeous day for a drive. (Gerri talked Bob into picking blueberries at Haven's Blueberry farm in Howell, Michigan......LOVELY place and we made a new farming friend, Tony, who discussed birds and berries and bees with us as we asked a million questions! We recommend you make the trip there if you ever have the chance! )

 They took Brad's trailer and placed a large order for syrup jugs and glassware. This field trip was probably about as safe as any. We ordered ahead of time and this small family business had things on their loading dock ready for us. In true Rine family fashion, we (of course) added to the order!  The whole family was really quite proud of their foresight and being ahead of the game for a change. It lasted two days.  That is how long it took to get orders that exceeded our bottle supply... a good problem. We have not yet sorted out who is going on the next trip or when. The  USPS is helping us out for now!!

Time was spent bottling some syrup in August. We have partnered with Grobe Fruit Farm for sales of syrup this summer. We appreciate their business! Stop in to see them at 43875 Telegraph Rd. Elyria, Ohio 44035 (grobefruitfarm.com) 

 We made a new compost pile, raised out 200 meat chickens, helped out with weekly dinners at church and the guys purchased a couple of pieces of new  (to us) farm equipment.....and that was the summer! 

Amen!