Growin' 'em Big

Sarah had occasion to take the kids to the doctor on Friday, since Paul was feeling sick & feverish. Julia had been sniffling a little too, so the doctor checked them both out. Paul weighed in at a strapping 31 lbs. & change, and stands a full 3 feet tall. Both of those are ~75th percentile for just over 2 years old. But the big news (pun intended) is Julia tipping the scales at 15 lbs., 6 oz. At 3 months old, 95th percentile is 15 lbs. even. So our second farmhand is well above that, and showing no signs of slowing down yet. We like 'em big out here on the farm.

Doggone Quandary

We at the Kuhlman Farm have, for a number of years, been considering getting a dog. Sarah & I both grew up with dogs and really enjoy dogs. We'd like our kids to grow up with dogs. So we've decided that we're gonna try to get a dog this fall. That was the easy part of the decision, though. Now we're mulling over the advantages of puppy vs. adult dogs. Plus there's shelter vs. pure bred vs. hybrid dogs. And even within that there's what breeds or breed-mixes do we want to consider. We have decided that we would really much prefer a dog that doesn't shed or sheds very little. So that narrows down the list considerably for us. You'll notice our new poll which lists several of the dogs within that little-to-no-shedding category that we'd consider. And if we decide on a mutt or hybrid, we'd try to find one that includes one or more of these breeds. But we're pretty torn. On the one hand, puppies are cool and I think Paul would really enjoy having a puppy around. On the other hand, puppies need to be trained, which is a measurable amount of effort/time. If we look at a rescue or shelter dog that's already grown and somewhat trained that solves that problem. But these dogs sometimes have other issues, and they'll more than likely not be around as long since they've already got a few years on 'em. So I dunno. I keep vacillating on all these questions. So I figured I'd share our quandary and see what kind of wisdom we might get from our friends & family. (If you're unfamiliar with any of these breeds as I was, here's a good resource.)

Congratulations Don & Brenda

On Saturday afternoon we had the pleasure of witnessing my cousin Don's wedding at a nice little nature preserve east of Cincinnati. Surrounded by friends, family, and faithful companion Macy, Don & Brenda were joined in marriage in a wonderful & enjoyable ceremony. Welcome to the family, Brenda! Ya done good, Don. Thanks so much to you both for inviting us to participate in this momentous event with you. Despite the rough weather on Saturday, a good time was had by all. We wish you all the best Don & Brenda!

Old Rooster Soup

Last year at this time we had culled our flock down to 21 hens and a rooster, which is what we kept through the winter until about the time we got our current flock as chicks. By the end, that rooster was getting pretty cocky and was challenging Sarah whenever she would try to go into the coop or fenced area. The day that foolish bird met my knife was a happy day for my poor wife. On Tues., the final chapter was begun for that old rooster when Sarah pulled his 5.75 lbs. carcas from the freezer and made a fabulous pot of soup out of him. I must say it has given us both great satisfaction the past couple evenings when we think back on that mean old rooster's life. And, I have to add, what a tasty bird he turned out to be.

Oktobeerfest Invitation

Fall is in the air. The days are getting shorter. A slight chill is on the breeze. The nights are getting cooler. The trees are beginning to turn. The birds are gathering in preparation for their journey. It's almost time for the second annual...
OKTOBEERFEST
Make plans now. You will not want to miss this beer-tasting event, where there will be:

• Beer
• Bratwurst
• Bonfire (notice a theme here?)

And we're kicking it up a notch this year (but still staying with the theme)

• Blues Jam

Oktobeerfest
Mark your calender (and RSVP)

• When: Friday, October 13, 2006
• Where: Kuhlman Farm
  
• Time: 6:30pm - ???
• Details: The party is outdoors and in the barn so dress appropriate

Here's how it works:

• WE supply the Barn, Brats, Bonfire, & Blues Band.
  
• YOU bring a 6-pack of a carefully selected beer for the tasting (homebrews always welcome!)
• You leave one bottle at the judges' table and put the rest out to share.
• There will be token prizes awarded for the best beer in several categories, but mostly it is an opportunity to sample some beers you might never have tried and to have a good time with friends while doing it.

Hope to see you there!
RSVP BBQKing95@aol.com

Lost Bird

Sunday night we were at church until after 8, so we didn't get home till well after dark and the kids' bedtime. As we're coming in the door I notice a piece of paper stuck on the door from neighbor asking me to call him when I can. His wording makes it seem a little urgent, so while Sarah's putting Paul to bed, I call him up to see what's going on. He explains very apologetically that one of his dogs got loose and by the time he caught up with it, it had pinned one of our chickens down and was about to tear into it. He pulled his dog off and quickly took him back to his house before coming back to check on the chicken. When he returned the chicken was gone and only a tuft of feathers remained where the attack had occurred (well outside the fence & coop). He looked all over and around the barn, but was unable to find it. So I thanked him for calling me and once Sarah came down to take Julia, I went outside to look for this silly chicken. After about 20 minutes or so of searching around with all the barn lights on and a flashlight in my hand, I was also unable to find it. I went into the coop and, since the rest of them were on the roost settling in for the night, I was able to count 37. I recounted a couple times, but kept coming up with 37. I started with 39 chickens and banded 38 of them, so clearly 37 means I'm at least one short. I went around and closed everything down hoping this lost chicken could find someplace to survive for the night before hopefully wandering back near the barn in the morning. Unfortunately, I've looked all over the past couple of afternoons and have yet to find any sign of this lost bird other than the initial tuft of feathers. Clearly, if this silly chicken hadn't been out of the fence the dog wouldn't have been able to get to it. So I can't really hold the neighbor responsible. I guess I'll just have to work on improving the fencing to try to keep these silly birds from escaping so much.

Sunken Loaf

We at the Kuhlman Farm have been using our breadmaker on and off for several years now. Other than the occasional pizza crust dough, we tend to bounce between two different wheat-bread recipes. We've gotten so that our results are fairly consistent from loaf to loaf, though we still have one every now and then that sags a little at the end. This usually makes the loaf a little more dense. Sarah made a loaf over the weekend, though, that was looking real good in the breadmaker with like 30-45 minutes to go. But you can see from the picture that it really sunk at the end. It was pretty comical to try to retrieve from the breadmaker, but the weirdest thing is the consistency of the loaf. It is less dense and more spongy than normal. In fact, if anything, its the best consistency we've ever turned out. It tastes pretty good, though its definitely a little different from our normal loaf too. This is all very odd 'cause she only made one very minor modification to the recipe. Normally we use milk, but this time she used powdered milk & water (which is actually what the recipe book calls for). I find it hard to believe that such a minor change could cause this big a difference in the outcome, but we're gonna try it again the same way soon to see. Too many engineers in the kitchen "experimenting," trying to find more data points.

King's Island

Earlier today, Sarah took the kids and met up with her friend Heather to head to King's Island. Heather had some free tickets from work and wanted to spend some time with Sarah, Paul, and Julia. Sarah left straight away after nap time and they didn't return until around 7 sometime. It sounds like they had a great time and Paul seemed to especially liked riding the elevator up and down the Eiffel Tower. After their first ride up and back down, shouts of "'Gain, 'Gain" could be heard from our subtle little man. The biggest thing that impressed me was how much energy he had when they returned home. He was still running like crazy while Sarah was trying to put supper together, so I took him outside for a bit. He continued to run around the farm and play as if he hadn't been doing much of anything all day. On the plus side, when he finally crashed, he went down very quickly, not unlike his exhausted parents.

Morning with Choo-Choo

Paul (aka Farm Hand #1) had the distinct honor and privilege this morning of visiting Thomas the Train at the old station in downtown Lebanon. As a birthday gift, he had been given tickets for a train ride on Thomas, so Sarah took Paul & Julia this morning. Paul was very impressed by the scale of Thomas and really enjoyed the ~20 min. train ride. He pretty much spent the whole time staring out the window in quiet amazement. He also greatly enjoyed walking around the park where they had banners with many of the other trains and a petting zoo. Sarah managed to steer clear of the ubiquitous merchandise tent, which is just as well given the volume of toys we already possess. All in all, it was an excellent morning and Paul seemed to enjoy it greatly.

Mommy's Little Helper

Last night I "baked" cookies with Paul's help. I have very fond memories of getting to bake with my mom. Looking back, I'm amazed at the patience she must have had, because I'm sure we kids slowed the process down tri-fold.

We were using the Bartsch family's recipe for no-bake peanut butter balls. First Paul helped me crush the cereal. Steve was in the kitchen encouraging him, "Keep hitting the cereal, Paul. You can hit it harder than that!" Then we put the ingredients in the food processor. The processor worked better than the mixer, partly because Paul can push the buttons to start and stop the processor. The blender is a little more advanced. At first his eyes got very wide, because the not-fully-crushed cereal made a lot of noise.

Then I had to add peanut butter. As I was digging the peanut butter out of the jar and into the measuring cup, Paul was digging the peanut butter out of the measuring cup and into his mouth. I finished one jar of peanut butter and had to open a second jar. Meanwhile, Paul helped dig the remnants of peanut butter out of the first jar and into his mouth. We got our money's worth out of that first jar. He had peanut butter up to his elbows. It was a good thing that last night was bath night.

After all the ingredients were mixed, I tried to get him to help me make the peanut butter balls and lay them on a tray. He dropped a couple of dabs onto the tray, but mostly he stood there picking the chocolate chips out of the dough.

That's mommy's boy.

Busy Weekend

This past weekend really flew by, without nearly enough time spent napping. I spent all of Friday after work getting stuff ready for the pig roast and brewing my second batch of beer. This was my first solo attempt at brewing, but everything went very smoothly. Sarah had left around lunchtime Fri. with the kids to go visit her folks for the weekend. So my supper Fri. evening was a quick bowl of cereal sucked down in fairly record time while my beer was brewing. I managed to get to bed at a decent hour 'cause the alarm was set for 3:30am Sat. morning. David showed up just before 4 and we had the pig prepped and were on our way by 5. The wiffle-ball tournament event that we were doing the roast for was a great time. All the folks there were really appreciative and enjoyed what we did. Thanks to Dan K. for hosting this excellent event and inviting us to join their annual tradition! There's already talk of us roasting a pig for them again next year. By the time we made it back to the farm it was 10pm and we were both beat. Fortunately, I was able to sleep in till 8 on Sunday, 'cause there was no nap to be had. Sarah and the kids made it safely back home just as I was settling into the couch and the Bengal's game. Oh well, the house had been awfully quiet without them.

Piggy Time Again

Its time for another pig roast this weekend. This time the event is a wiffle ball tournament in Cincinnati, near Coney Island. Other than having to get up before 4am to get things rolling, tomorrow looks to be a great day. The weather is forecast to be 80 and sunny, we'll be cooking and eating pig, and my next brew should be fermenting away in the basement. Brew tonight, pig tomorrow...what could be better!?

New Brew 2

After much deliberation and cogitation, I've picked up a Honey Brown Ale for my next homebrew. I know, I know...I asked a while ago about Red vs. Bock, with my only 2 responses in favor of Bock. But I've learned since posting that question that Bock beers use Lager yeast, which ferments best in the 45-55 degree range. Since our basement is still running in the 60's, an ale is the best option right now. And with Autumn coming on quick, a Honey Brown just sounds good to me now. So, in anticipation of our upcoming 2nd annual beer-tasting event here at the Kuhlman Farm in October, I'll be brewing tomorrow night. That should give me just enough time if I don't let it sit in the fermenter too long. Hopefully it'll be cool enough for a Bock by the time I'm ready to brew my next batch.

7 Hours Later

After escaping nearly 5 weeks without mowing the grass, mostly due to uncooperative weather, I was finally able to mow yesterday. And a little over 7 hours after I started, I was able to put the tractor a way and call it done. Of course, that involved using the push mower to do some trim work and about an hour break for supper, but I was mowing for about 6 hours, probably at least 4.5 of which was on the tractor. I had forgotten since I got my tractor that it actually has 6 gears and not just 3. The stick shows 1-2-3-R, but there's also a High-Low lever hidden sorta under the seat. I've always run in High, usually mowing in 1 for detail work and 2 for the big flat sections. But yesterday, not only did I not get above 1-High, I actually was forced to use 3-Low for a few sections. Talk about crawling. And even at that slow speed I still had to stop a couple times and raise the mower with the hydraulics 'cause it was getting all clogged with grass clippings. Sarah joked with me at one point about when I might find time to bail all the hay I just cut. Pretty exciting. I suppose its all a small price to pay for a 5 week respite from mowing, but that's still pretty crazy. But I have to say, man does my lawn look good right now!

No Internet!?

Last week when we had all that rain we were experiencing a lot of crackling noise on our phone line. On Thurs. the phone company sent someone out to try to fix it, which they were successful. However, in so doing, they accidentally messed up our internet connection from home. This went unnoticed until Fri. sometime, and after several failed attempts to get through to their customer service folks, we weren't able to report the problem until Sat. morning. They finally came earlier this afternoon to fix it, and, after four days without the internet, boy am I glad its back. It seems pretty pathetic for me to miss it that much, and I've asked myself dozens of time this weekend how I survived before I had it. But then it occurred to me, my first internet connection came when I was in college, and I've had it ever since. Before that time, I was mostly living at home, so a lot of the stuff that I was missing from the internet this weekend, I didn't care about then. But since I've been more or less on my own, I've had the net to fill my need for information on demand. So I'm glad to say that its back on now and hopefully I won't be long without it again for a while. And, sorry for the long weekend without Kuhlman Farm Report updates, but I've got a few queued up to post today.

Meat!

In case mere looks alone were not enough to convince you that Paul is my offspring, here's a wonderful picture of him eating spareribs off the bone. What you can't tell from this picture is that between bites he's grunting "MEAT!" in a very primitive yet satisfying manner. He cleaned off one and a half rib bones for supper and had more for lunch a few days later. That's my boy! He'll be reveling in the roasting of a pig very soon with me.

Five Wonderful Years

On this date in the tumultuous year of 2001, Sarah and I were married in Dayton, Ohio. Several international flights, 2 kids, 2 flocks of chickens, one house move, and 5 years later, here we are. What an amazing and eventful 5 years they have been, and it has all been made better by having my beautiful bride by my side. So on this cool, rainy day let me just say, Happy Anniversary Sarah!