A few weeks ago I passed the chicken coup while walking out to feed the horses.  It was a mild evening and the air was fresh and calm until a ruckus suddenly broke the serenity of the moment.  On the back side of the chicken coup I heard Nancy yelling in anger saying things like, “If you want a piece of me big boy come and get it!!!”   Frankly it was alarming until I realized she was yelling at Theodore the rooster who had attacked her for the third time that week.  He used to be such a sweet rooster, but in recent months had started listening and responding to the voice of his bad angel who must have been telling him to get in touch with his testosterone.

As you may remember, Theodore was an orphaned rooster that had found me one day while I was collecting rocks out in the middle of nowhere.  He was mysteriously sitting under a bush half starved when I first spotted him and he immediately came to me for rescue when I stretched my hand in his direction.  He literally jumped into my arms. (See Entry #91 – June 9^th, 2009 – “Our new mystery friend”)  I brought him home and Nancy, being who she is made a special place for him to recuperate.  She had lovingly cared for him and protected him from the other chickens until he was finally strong enough to hold his own.  For months he was docile and friendly letting anyone pick him up and lovingly hold him in their arms.  It took awhile for us to even figure out what kind of a bird he was much less his sex.  He was always different than the other chickens and for a long time unaccepted, especially by the older rooster.

Theodore during his adolescence

Early one morning I approached the coup before daylight with the feed bucket, and as I cracked opened the door I heard an adolescent sounding crow.  As I turned on the light I spotted Theodore sitting on a high perch looking somehow different.   I think the noise that came out of him was as surprising to him as it was to me. From that day on he started to change.  He had gotten in touch with his masculinity and within weeks was choosing off the older dominate rooster.  Actually it was kind of sad. Not only had we lost our sweet little pet, but our older rooster who had taken his job running the roost with dignity was overpowered by Theodore’s new aggressive urges.   Theodore was now the king of the harem and it soon went to his head.  Unlike the older rooster (who eventually died of a broken spirit) Theodore could fly.  He could fly not only to the top of the coup fence (his new found place of superiority), but over the fence where he was not afraid to challenge dogs, cats, innocent children and to his demise, Nancy and I.

Even Lily fears Theodore

Even Lily our Labrador became intimidated by him and our granddaughter Hope started to arm herself with sticks and garden tools when walking across the barnyard.   One day Theodore even chased a thirty year old friend of our son Brook into the back of his pickup truck. He was trembling in fear while avoiding the macho young rooster’s aggressiveness (at least that’s how Brook and his other buddies related the story to me.)   That’s when Nancy had enough.  Theodore was either going into the stew pot or going to receive some serious therapy.

Theodore learns not to mess with Nancy

Nancy soon learned that fighting fire with fire only made the problem worse. For example, kicking and hitting him over the head with a feed bucket in response to his spurring charges only seemed to make him meaner, feeling justified for his sneaky stealth attacks.  Theodore always attacked when you least expected it.  Not knowing where else to go for help Nancy finally resorted to the internet.  As amazing as it seemed to me she actually discovered an article on taming mean roosters.  It had been written by an old farmer who evidently had had the same dilemma.  Anyway, for the past two weeks she has been catching Theodore any time he even gets that sly devious look in his eyes.  She holds him tight in her arms and taking her index finger presses down his beak into his chest holding him in submission for up to ten minutes at a time.  I don’t know if it will work, but it’s her best effort to save him from sure death and her from the trauma of losing her cool and ringing his poor little rooster neck in a fit of unladylike rage.

The following is a great article on taming mean roosters: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070503071406AAJC8T1

Tags: Chickens, country living, homestead, Rossters, Small farm, Taming a mean rooster, Tri Robinson

When I built the horse barn I hadn’t dreamt it would one day become the place that we would host a rehearsal dinner party to celebrate the wedding of our son Brook and new daughter Andrea.  Last Friday evening however, over fifty people sat down to eat a wonderful meal together while a live Bluegrass band played in the hayloft above. 

A few months before when Brook asked about the possibility of using the barn for such an occasion we naturally jumped at the idea.  We hadn’t guessed at the time that June would be one of the wettest in recent history.  Literally an hour before the party started on Friday evening a lightning storm blew through bringing with it not only the crashing of thunder but a torrential downpour of driving rain.  I also hadn’t considered the idea that the invitation list might grow at the last minute to be more folks than our four horse barn

The High Desert Bluegrass Band

could possibly accommodate.  The fact of the matter was, we were all so excited for the occasion our enthusiasm would override any obstruction.  We were blessed to be asked and started to plan the event right away.  Nancy figured out the food and I started to clean out the barn. With some great help I shoveled out a mountain of manure which had been accumulating all winter and even painted all of the interior walls. (See entry’s #167 & 162)  The day of the dinner we had fun doing the finish work with some wonderful old friends who have known and loved our kids for years.   We covered the floor with wood shavings, set up tables and decorated them.  In the end nearly sixty people comfortably sat down to the BBQ dinner.  

Rand Thompson and the High Desert Bluegrass Band set up in the hayloft and played through-out the entire evening.  Not only did the night turn out to be a joyous celebration, but the rain and wind moved on leaving behind only the cool fresh smell of spring in the air.  When the evening ended we all recognized that God had blessed the night and the marriage covenant which was about to be made between Brook and his beautiful bride Andrea.

Tags: Barns, Bluegrass, country living, homestead, Sustainable living, Tri Robinson

I think everyone who loves to garden ends up accumulating a plethora of various kinds of digging tools.  Spade shovels, flat nose shovels, scoop shovels, rakes, pitch forks, etc. are all a necessity for those of us who spend the warmer months digging in the dirt. What’s really frustrating however is when you need a specific tool but can’t seem to locate the proper one when you need it the most; not only that, but having tools lying around everywhere makes your place look untidy and disorganized.   That was our case and the frustration of it finally motivated me to figure out an inexpensive solution.  Most of our tools generally seemed to end up leaning against the garden fence line and I realized if I was to build some sort of a rack to hang them on the best place to locate it would be where they would naturally end up.  Because my new tool rack would be outside where things would be close at hand I decided to construct something that could stand up to the weather during the spring and summer seasons.  Here is my solution.

"A" - 1/2 inch foundation bolt

Looking around through my junk I spotted some left over ½ inch foundation bolts.  They were ten inches long and had a perfect “L” shaped hook at the end.  (See picture A) I realized that their threads where just long enough to be bolted to a left over 2X12 I had scrounged from my scrap pile.  I drilled sets of ½ inch holes four inches apart down the 2X12 leaving 10 inches between each set of two.  I bought an extra set of washers and nuts for each bolt so that I could put a nut and washer on each side of the plank.  (See picture

"B"- Bolts anchored in 2X12 plank

B)  After cinching them up tight I bolted the ten foot rack on the garden fence and gathered every tool I could find and hung them between the foundation bolts.  Already this small simple invention has made our lives easier.  Not only is it easier to find the tools we need but it did in fact make the garden look uncluttered and tidy.

Tags: country living, Garden tools, homestead, organic gardening, Small farm, sustainability, Tri Robinson

Our scarecrow shivered during the end of May

When people live close to the land and even depend on it for the substance of life they become acutely aware of change.  For years Nancy and I have planted our garden in mid May. Not the frail things like tomatoes and peppers, but the early crops like potatoes and peas.  This year was a bit different – the fruit trees had already budded and blossomed.  The potato plants were six inches tall in the garden and the alfalfa had been growing in leaps and bounds over the past month even though it had been wet and unseasonably cold.  Everything was on schedule until a late unexpected snow storm dumped two fresh inches of snow on the ground and the temperatures plummeted to below freezing during the night.  As a result, this year’s fruit will be lost for the second year, the potatoes died back and even some of the alfalfa froze in the field.  It was crazy. 

As soon as the snow started to fall I scrambled to get Nancy’s vegetable starts which she had set out to harden for planting back into the greenhouse.   We knew that the spring seems to extend longer year by year, but to get a freezing snowfall a couple of weeks before it is officially summer seemed outlandish.  Talking to my neighbor, Craig Krosch, who has farmed the Timber Butte area for years, he said he is confident that the weather changes here are not just a fluke, but very real. For three years now he has lost dry-land alfalfa to hard frost a month before it was to be harvested. I didn’t even know such a thing could happen, but then I’m a rookie compared to him.  

New potatoes peeking through fresh snow

Folks everywhere are denying that “Global Warming” is really happening, not understanding that it will manifest itself in different ways in different regions.  I personally believe that the term “Global Warming” challenges a debate as to if the changes are human caused or naturally caused.  Personally I feel that debate distracts from the fact that the climate is changing and farmers especially are and will be facing grave new challenges.  No one can deny that hurricanes, tornadoes and disastrous flooding are on the increase in both quantity and intensity nationwide for whatever reason. Meteorologists are alerting us that because the Atlantic Ocean waters are the warmest they have been in recorded history they may well cause another bad year for hurricanes in the southern coastal regions.

Blossoms on a snowy morning

As human beings we hate to admit that things are changing, especially for the worst.  By nature we hate change and we secretly want everything to stay the same.  The Apostle Paul once wrote about this when he was speaking about the changes that would occur right before the second coming of Christ.  He said, “Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

 I, for one, don’t want to find myself in that camp; I’d rather admit things are changing and try to deal with it as best as I can. Next year we’ll wait a few weeks before we put our garden in.

Tags: climate change, enviornment, Global warming, homestead, organic gardening, Small farm, Sustainable living, Tri Robinson

One morning recently I casually passed by the television as Nancy my wife was cooking breakfast. She had the Today Show on and Ann Curry was beginning an interview with CEO and Chief Operations Officer of British Petroleum. She was asking him if BP was willing to offer an apology to the American people for the devastating damage of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill crisis which is now being considered the worst man caused pollution disaster in the history of the world (spewing more oil than the Valdez oil spill of twenty years ago every four days.) BP’s original claim that the leak was spilling 5000 barrels (200,000 gallons) of crude oil is now estimated by some scientists as being possibly ten times greater – nobody seems to know for sure. 

 As I passed by the television I couldn’t help but be drawn in by the intensity of the interview but also the devastating pictures that accompanied it. As this BP spokesman squirmed to avoid direct answers to Ann Curry’s questions across the screen were images from a mile under the sea showing the ruptured pipe gushing a massive stream of black oil upward and aerial pictures of the growing oil slick slowly spreading across the ocean’s surface. 

 Seeing those images brought to mind a picture of a severed human artery pumping dark blood outward forming a slow spreading pool on the pavement near a dying body. That picture coupled with the familiar new footage of dead and dying dolphins, sea turtles and birds coated in oil washing up on the southern U.S. shores gave me the morbid thought that I was observing a picture of the earth dying from a mortal wound. I thought of the scripture in Romans 8 where it says, “For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:19-22)

As a pastor I have always exhorted my people to minister to what has been referred to as “a lost and dying world”. Somehow I had never equated it with the death of the physical earth. The reality that the earth could actually die right before my eyes really shook me. I know as well as any Christian that the Bible prophesied that horrible things would happen in the time period that is referred to as “the last days” or the “day of the Lord”. In my optimism I had always believed that it would be a time in the way distant future but I now realize it could happen in my lifetime. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: creation care, enviornment, Gulf oil desater, sustainability, Tri Robinson

I had been dreading the thought of painting the interior walls of the barn for months. The thought of cleaning it out masking windows and doors, and spraying some 3000 square feet of walls (walls that are 18 feet tall) overwhelmed me.  By myself I knew the job would take me several days and dozens of trips up and down tall extension ladders.  I wanted to do it, but thinking about the effort it would take kicked in that old enemy of progress, procrastination. 

Last Christmas our son Brook announced his engagement to a girl we all love, Andrea Dotters.  He proposed and gave her a ring on Christmas Eve and the excitement and preparation of a June wedding went into motion, especially at the Dotters house.  Other than having the privilege of facilitating the service as the marrying pastor, my only real job was to prepare the barn for a rehearsal dinner here at Timber Butte.  The thought of the party was exciting and motivating, especially considering the blessing of the occasion and so even though the size of the task was challenging, the vision of what it was for spurred me on. 

Several weeks before we had shoveled out a mountain of horse manure after a winter of accumulation (See entry #162) in preparation for the paint job we had scheduled for this past Saturday.  After a winter of thinking about it, the day had finally arrived.  I got together the paint and

Nathan & Nathan climbing ladders

supplies needed and headed for the barn early last Saturday morning where I started to clean the walls of hanging tack and the floor and loft of tools, bales of left over hay, welding equipment and miscellaneous paraphernalia which had accumulate in the many nooks and crannies. After a couple of hours of prep work I was ready to start masking and fire up the airless spray rig to start painting. That’s when I heard the welcome sound of Nathan’s diesel pickup coming up the road. 

As the pickup came to a stop two young guys jumped out eager to lend me a hand.   Not only did Nathan Harknes who had helped me do projects on two other occasions, but he brought Nathan Evans who had come over from an island in Hawaii to attend our VCOM school of Biblical Action.  They were a welcome sight and without delay we all got to work.  Later in the day Josh and Melissa Fishburne showed up after having run a thirteen mile half marathon that same morning and jumped in as well.  Nancy cooked a great meal for everyone keeping the moral high and by five o’clock that afternoon not only were the walls and stalls painted  but the spray rig was cleaned up and all the tack and other paraphernalia was hanging back on the walls again.   The barn looked more beautiful than I had expected and ready for the celebration we were all anticipating with excitement. It goes to show that the Amish people are right when they say, “Many hands make light work”.

Tags: Barn construction, country living, homestead, Small farm, Tri Robinson

We were heartbroken last March when I discovered that our first colony of honey bees had abandoned their hive.  It had been our first experience raising bees and we had been elated at the plentiful harvest we experienced at the end of a first season.  Our industrious bees had filled two supers with harvestable honey after storing away two main boxes which would be an ample amount to sustain them through the coming winter.  It’s hard to explain the fealings of depression we felt, (unless you have had the chance to raise bees yourself) but we had actually built a kind of relationship with them.  Even before winter began I felt a type of parental concern worrying about their welfare as days become shorter and colder.  I knew that they had plenty of stored honey to get them through the cold months ahead, but felt concern for the bitter cold subzero temperatures they would be facing.  I looked on the web in hope of discovering how to winterize the hive and even asked for advice from folks who had far more experience than me, yet I still felt uncertain.  

Annual Bee clinic in Fruitland, Idaho

In an effort to protect them from the cold north winds I built a protective wall of hay around three sides of the hive leaving the sunny south facing side open.  I also fashioned a sheet of roofing steel over the top to keep the driving rains from saturating them and the deep snows from burying them.  In my mind I couldn’t understand how zero temperatures wouldn’t freeze the little guys into a solid block along with their stored honey supply when they were merely protected by a thin walled wooden box.  After tucking them in the best I knew how I left the hive alone until March when I decided to put my ear to the cover lid in hope of hearing the buzzing sounds of life.  I didn’t – the hive seemed empty. 

Nancy behind the veil

I had heard reports from our bee keeping friend Mike Lutz and a neighbor down the road who both had lost their bees to what they considered to be hive collapse syndrome or disorder and so I decided to have a look.  Carefully prying up the lid I looked in only to discover they too had disappeared.  I felt a little heartbroken and really discouraged but after discussing it with Nancy decided not to give up but to try again the following spring.

Every year there is a beekeeping clinic offered in Fruitland, Idaho on the first of May for folks like us who are complete rookies when it comes to bees.  I had attended the clinic the year before and purchased our first colony.  This year I asked Nancy to go along with me hopeful that between the two of us we could ask more questions and retain more information. 

 The week before the clinic was scheduled I decided to empty the old hives and prepare them for the new colonies we would be bringing home. We decided to try two hives side by side after hearing that bee colonies do best in partnership. Opening the hive and pulling the old frames I discovered the abandoned combs were loaded with several gallons of honey. I couldn’t understand why a seemingly healthy bunch of bees would leave such a gold mine in the middle of winter. As I removed the last frames from the bottom box I discovered a dead mouse and a nest right in the middle. I wondered then if the mouse was the reason for the bee’s evacuation or if he had moved in after the bees had already left.  I had no idea. 

The new bees come home

At the clinic I shared my finding with an experienced bee keeper and he told me it was common for mice to run off bees in winter when the bees are too weak to fight for their hive.  He said that by pilling hay around the hive I had actually provided a good habitat for the mice and had even encouraged them to take up residence around their hive. He also told me that I could fashion a mouse guard made out of a piece of angle iron with holes drilled in it and fasten it in front of the hive entrance.  The holes are large enough for bees to enter and exit but would keep the mice out.

Learning is a lifelong process I’ve discovered and many if not most lessons learned seem to come by way of failures and mistakes.  I was tempted to give up on our beekeeping venture after my first failed attempt, but with Nancy’s encouragement decided to try again.  We now have two new hives full of buzzing bees in our vegetable garden where we are able to watch them daily.  They are already getting established and making themselves at home enjoying the first blossoms of spring.

Tags: Beekeeping, hive collapse syndrome, homestead, organic gardening, Small farm, Sustainable living, Tri Robinson

Nancy had another idea. She thought it would be handy to have a sink in the garden to prewash vegetables before bringing them into her kitchen. She also thought an outside sink might provide a good place to prewash me before letting me come in the house – considering my reputation for getting filthy after a day of ranch work. (Have you ever seen the Peanuts cartoon character named Pigpen?)

Anyway, for whatever reason, we picked up a used cast iron sink complete with faucets and drains for only forty bucks at a second hand store in Boise.

Sink framework & concrete mesh

After loading it in the back of my pickup and nearly getting a hernia in the process I realized I would need to build a really stout stand to set it on. Stopping by Home Depot on the way home we purchased treated 4X4s and 2X4s needed to hold the weight and then proceeded to look around for materials to build a counter top able to withstand every type of weather possible.  We knew that the sink would be sitting year after year under deep snow and in freezing temperatures during winter months, in driving rain storms in the springtime, and under brutal hot sun in the summer.  I’ve built outside sinks before and my experience told me that if we wanted it to serve us for a long time and look half way decent in the process it would have to be durable.  We thought about using a sheet of galvanized steel for the counter, but knew how hot it would get in the summer heat. I also believed that tile would eventually get water under it and cause it to crack in the winter freeze. After consulting with a nice lady in the paint department we finally went home with a quart of epoxy all weather paint which we planned on applying over a 3X5 sheet of hardy concrete board, but I knew even as I decided to take her advice that it would be temporary at best.

Rand helps me set in the sink

On the way home I had an epiphany. (I do some of my best brainstorming while driving.) I remembered how years before I had used concrete to provide a water and fireproof roof system on a generator house I had built.  I recalled how it not only had lasted but looked great as well.

That evening I constructed the framework using the treated lumber we had bought, keeping in mind that it would have to support not only the heavy cast iron sink but an inch of concrete as well.  The next day, which happened to be my day off, Rand Thompson came by and helped me pour the counter top and set the sink in place.  As we mixed the

Troweling the finshed cement

cement (I mixed it 4 to 1) I remembered a small unlabeled bag of concrete die I had left over from some previous project. Not even knowing for sure what color it was, I added it to the mix. It turned out to be black which ended up looking really nice. Because it was windy and rainy we poured the cement top under cover in the barn.

After allowing it set up for several days I decided it was time to move it to the garden.  I can’t tell you for sure how heavy it was when all was said and done, but I couldn’t budge it more than an inch or so by myself so decided to fashion a sling out of nylon rope and moved it to the garden with the bucket of the tractor.   I’ll admit that I feared cracking it in the process, but everything went well. I ran the drain lines into a one inch PVC pipe that transported the reclaimed water into the garden. It is now permanently plumbed and ready for dirty vegetables or a dirty husband.

Tags: country living, garden bench, garden sink, organic gardening, Small farm, Tri Robinson

Every time I turn around these days Nancy is raising or growing something new in our bathtub.  First it was two kittens who she named Mercy & Gracie, then seedlings for the vegetable garden, and now three small Muscovy ducklings she has named Daisy, Lazy & Hazy.  Responding to her grandmother instinct I notice she constantly ventures into the local feed store and heads straight to the bins and cages of live baby things; little chicks, geese, rabbits, ducklings, puppies, or anything else that is peeping or meowing out for a loving mother figure.  That’s what happened with the kittens last winter. As she walked by their cage a small Siamese kitten slyly reached his tiny paw through the wire of the cage that imprisoned him and gently touched Nancy’s passing arm.  As you can imagine her heart melted like wax and in a moment of weakness he was in her arms. Not wanting to separate him from his fuzzy and equally cute twin sister she brought both kittens home and prepared a cozy bed for them in the master bath tub.  His original name was Mercy but later was renamed Mad-Max (due to a significant puberty behavioral and attitudinal personality change). When challenged on what we were going to do with two new cats Nancy’s only response was that they were free.  Free that is until she had to purchase a state of the arc litter-box, a matching set of food & water dishes and the half dozen toys needed to keep them from becoming bored, not to mention the additional expense of neutering Mad-Max and giving him a plethora of kitty shots, worming medication, etc. etc.   Realizing that having two kittens in the house along with Lily was a bit much;   Nancy gave Max’s sister to a friend’s granddaughters who desperately feel in love with Gracie (much to our relief).

Now, about the ducklings.  Again it was a stop for feed at D&B Feed and Farm Supplies, a stop we frequently make on our way home from work.  For several weeks I noticed Nancy eyeing a large feed trough filled with peeping ducklings and new born chicks.  Week by week I watched as she fell deeper in love with the ducklings. She kept commenting about their tiny bills and webbed feet which I knew was a bad sign. She also commented on the fact that they were gradually being sold off and were decreased in number every time she stopped by the store – that was another bad sign.  For a while I managed to talk her out of taking them home by reminding her that although we had a large half acre pond below the house we didn’t have a duck house or pen to protect them from the coyotes, skunks, raccoons, bobcats and foxes that called Timber Butte their home.  My strategy was working pretty well until she spotted a copy of Hobby Farms Magazine on a rack by the cashiers counter as we were leaving the store.  As only providence could have it the magazine had a

Mad-Max meets Daisy, or is it Lazy

portrait of a Muscovy duckling on the cover that was identical to the ones being sold. Nancy knew at once that it was in fact the hand of the Lord telling her she must take the remaining ducklings home.  As you might guess, the rest was history. 

Once again the master bathtub no longer belongs to the master (that would be me) but rather is now a duck habitat filled with wood chips, a poultry feeder and waterier.  Daisy, Lazy and Hazy are a content part of the family as plans are being drawn up for our future duck pen and house.  It’s just the way things work here at Timber Butte Homestead and as tough as I sound Mad-Max contently lays on my lap every morning as I drink hot coffee and have my quiet time. He has become my good friend and has even accepted the ducklings as something more than a convenient snack.

Tags: Hobby Farms, homestead, Muscovy ducks, rural life, simplified life, Small farm, sustainability, Tri Robinson

Our new book now released by Baker Book Publishing

Last week Baker Books officially released Rooted in Good Soil, a book that I had labored over for nearly a year. It tells the story in a rather unusual way of what I would call the organic Christian journey to maturity and fruitfulness. At the same time as the book was released I was invited to spend three days with some pastor couples and leaders at a retreat center in the heart of Montana. Most of them are old friends who have been faithfully serving in cities and rural towns of Montana for years. They are special people who Nancy and I have grown to love but haven’t had the chance to spend time with for a long time. They asked me to come teach the new things God had been doing through our ministry and the books I have been writing.  As I prepared for what I believed would be a rich time of renewing old relationships it was in my heart to be a blessing in their lives if possible with my short visit.

While driving to the airport early in the morning to catch my plane I prayed and asked the Lord for a fresh message that would be both helpful and relevant not only for the ministries they lead but for their individual lives as well. I was weaving down the canyon road out of our hills towards the interstate just as the early morning light was breaking over the distant eastern mountains. As I prayed I began to hum an old children’s song I once sang as a young boy in Sunday school some fifty years before. At first I couldn’t recall the words, but gradually a few of them started to come to memory and I sang what I could remember with a hope that others would follow; but they didn’t. I sang, “Deep and wide, deep and wide, there is a fountain flowing deep and wide.” I sang this one stanza over and over again straining for the remaining lyrics.  I felt certain that if I could recall the words the Lord would use them to show me what it was he wanted me to relate to the Montana pastors. Finally giving up, I called Nancy on my cell phone and ask her to Google the old song on her computer and call me back later with her findings. It wasn’t until I had arrived at the Boise airport and checked through security that Nancy’s return call came informing me that she had in fact succeeded finding the old song but that there were no additional lyrics. The entirety of the song was, “Deep and wide, deep and wide, there’s a fountain flowing deep and wide”. That was all there was to it. My first response was disappointment; I was totally bummed and concluded that I hadn’t heard the Lord at all until it struck me that this was the message – “deep and wide”.  I was to tell the pastors to go deep and wide and to lead the folks in their churches deep and wide. I know this may sound crazy to many, but in reality there is no greater thing for a Christian to do than to go deep with God for the sake of taking his love and ministry wide. I recalled how I had been hearing so much talk recently concerning the church in America being an inch deep and a mile wide; how that if the truth be known it may not even be a mile wide. This would be especially true if you define the “width” to be more about community and worldwide impact rather than the number of people in attendance on any given Sunday.

When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment he said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. He said this is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt. 22:37) Learning to love God and to be loved by him is the essence of going deep. Deep Christianity calls for a deep relationship with God. Learning to unconditionally love your neighbor, (especially the non-churched and the poor) is the essence of going wide. As simple as it might seem, to go both deep and wide (and in that order) is the key to authentic Christian faith. I’m convinced it is what God desires and is saying to his people. 

After returning home from my short trip to Montana this simple thought stayed with me. It was in my mind even two days later as I worked up the enriched soil in the garden, forming raised beds and preparing a drip line irrigation system to water the seeds Nancy would soon be planting. I turned the soil over several times as I formed the rows; the first time to break up the compacted ground, and a second time to work in new compost and seasoned manure. Every vegetable gardener knows that the most critical issue in helping a plant to grow to fruitfulness is in the preparation of soil. For the plant to grow tall and wide its roots must first grow deep into the richness of the fertile ground. Establishing deep roots is everything for a healthy plant just as becoming deeply rooted in God’s love is everything for the Christian that wants to experience lasting spiritual maturity. The Apostle Paul once prayed, “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”(Eph. 3:18) It is being filled with the “fullness of God” that enables us to not only grasp the love of God, but to take it wide; to take it to a pain-filled and broken world in very real and tangible ways.

Recalling those few words from a childhood song and overlaying them on the heart of the new book I had recently written encouraged and excited me as I got to see my old friends again.  I knew God wanted to do a special thing for them, and that through the sincerity of their lives he would somehow impact the state of Montana.

Tags: Baker Publishing, Boise Vineyard, Christian living, Montana Vineyards, Rooted in Good Soil, Small farm, Sustainable living, Tri Robinson

Winter at TImber Butte Homestead

Winter is not only a confining time but a difficult time to keep things tidy. Winter has a beauty of its own; there is no doubt about it. But, living in snow country has the tendency of being confining and conducive to the buildup of clutter both in the house and barn.  With warmth and lengthening of spring days the time of dormancy lifts and not only brings renewed life to the land, but in a special way to our human spirits as well.  As doors and windows fling open allowing the freshness of the new season to enter in we become simultaneously ready to get out in the fresh air. 

Nancy spring cleans her gardening room

 Spring has a special way of motivating and energizing us to reorganize and clean things up.  Every year it offers us a new beginning; it’s a time to prepare the garden for another growing season, turning over the rows and setting up irrigation line for easy maintenance. It is a time to prepare the green house for fragile plants not yet ready for early planting due to erratic climate changes. It is a time to muck out the barn and mound up a winter’s accumulation of manure in preparation for next year’s compost. It’s also a time to fix broken pipes that had become casualties of the subzero winter temperatures because they had been inadequately drained in the previous fall.  Spring is a time to reorganize and prepare for the animals on the homestead; time to feed the bees and let the chickens out of their coup so they can free range once again.

 Spring cleaning is liberating to the soul.  There is something wonderful about ridding oneself of the chronic buildup of unneeded clutter.  After years of living out this spring cleaning scenario I’ve realized that it must be a common characteristic of our human natures to accumulate unneeded stuff. Unused

Our friend Nathan lends a hand mucking out the barn

possessions have a mysterious way of filling our closet shelves, cluttering drawers, being stuffed under beds and in the once spacious places of garages and barns. I’m speaking of the things that we once believed we needed, but soon cease to have any real functional value. Cleaning out the clutter not only takes deliberate effort but the honesty to admit we really don’t need a lot of extra stuff.  Simplicity is a gift once it is achieved, but it is a gift that requires a deliberate choice and effort to go after it.

 A number of years ago I wrote a book entitled, Small Footprint, Big Handprint – How to live simply and love extravagantly.  It was based on a series I taught which I called, The Biblical Pursuit of a More Simplified Life.  The book and teaching were a challenge for folks to downsize their lives for the sake of upsizing their impact on the world around them. It spoke of a mega spring cleaning of their personal lives, not just for the sake of simplicity, but for the sake of effectiveness in the lives of others.  It illuminated the fact that far too often our

This years manure is next years compost

possessions own us more than we own them.  It showed how things in our lives can encumber us with physical, emotional and even spiritual debt.  God’s intent is that we would not be in bondage from the things of this world but be free and in fact, “free indeed” [John 8:36]. It is in freedom that we then have the liberty to become the people God originally intended us to be.

Fixing pipes that didn't survive the winters freeze

 I don’t want to over spiritualize this “spring cleaning” thing, but I do believe that the reason it feels so wonderful when we choose to do it is because it is a physical picture of a more important spiritual reality.  In our heart of hearts we want to be free from the things that encumber us.  Life has a way of stuffing away the destructive clutter of memories that are unedifying and even painful. These memories start to override God’s goodness and His greater purpose for our lives. They encumber our minds and hearts causing us to lose the freedom we were created to have.  That’s why Jesus said in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”  It is God’s heart and intention that we experience real freedom.  His provision of Jesus provides the greatest spring cleaning of all – the cleansing of our souls.

Tags: country living, homestead, Small farm, Tri Robinson

After our visit to Inland Desert Nursery I came home motivated to start off our small vineyard right from the beginning.  Having a close look at what Tom had done I realized how important it was to build a strong support trellis system before the vines had a chance to develop. Observing his trellis system gave me a lot of good ideas.  I also realized how expensive trellis construction can be so when I came home I decided to improvise using as many things as I could that were lying around the place. Our vineyard was obviously extremely small, but still part of the goal of sustainability is to use as few outside resources as possible. As a result I tried to take advantage of my junk pile.  For my main supports I used cedar posts that had been left over from the corral. I used surplus wire from my fencing supplies and unused drip line from the vegetable garden.  My posts were only seven feet long which meant having just five feet out of the ground, but after a little research I discovered that in our colder climate a shorter trellis would be sufficient due to the shorter growing season. I used 10 gauge non-galvanized wires for my main supports after hearing not only how heavy the vines would become when fully mature, but also that galvanized wire can become toxic to the fruit. (I’m not certain that every vintner would agree with this however).

Fencing ratchets can be tightened at any time to maintain tight wires

The first thing I did was dig three foot holes several feet beyond the arbor rows in order to construct anchors.  These anchors, also known as “dead men”, are used to stretch and hold the support wires taut.  I set a steel rod in each hole and filled them with concrete. I used leftover steel electric fence wire posts (again procured from my junk pile) Using an acetylene torch, I twisted the ends into rings so that I could later attach and stretch my wire from them.  I then set my cedar posts every sixteen feet down each row.  Two grapevines would later be planted between each post. Note that I also set my two outside posts at slight outward angles for extra support (see pictures).  I then drilled holes through the posts so that the support wires might be strung through them at appropriate heights.  Of the vineyards I observed I had not seen this done, but it seemed like a good idea to me.  Most modern vineyards use heavy steel posts that are specially manufactured for this purpose, but again I used what we had laying around.

Holes drilled trough the posts holds the wires and irrigation line

Finally, I stretched the wires from one end of the row to the other using fencing ratchets (which cost approximately $3 found apiece at places which sell fencing products.)  I decided to use these for two reasons: first, because they are excellent for stretching heavy gauge wire; and second, because they can be used at any time to tighten wires the lose tension as the vines increase in weight.

 After all my wires where in place I added my drip line, suspending it from the bottom wire.  The drip line is generally a foot above the ground so that it is out of the way of weed hoeing and mulching.  Note also that I strung my three wires at one foot (drip line wire) 30” and 48” (vine support wires). 

 Tom told me that if our first season goes well our vines should reach the first wire.  He told us to keep only the two most healthy shoots that come off the root to be trained on the 30” wire. These would become the two main vines to be trained on the 30” wire. He recommended that they be twisted when they reach the wire so that one goes each direction.  These two vines will grow down the wire four feet in each direction. For this reason each vine is planted eight feet apart.  The next year these two main vines will produce shoots that will be attached to the 48” vine and produce rich fruit there in the years to come.

Tags: country living, grapevines, organic gardening, Small farm, sustainability, Tri Robinson, vineyard trellis, Vineyards

It always seems to me that the more you learn about something the more you realize you don’t know. Preparing to plant our first vineyard at Timber Butte has been another one of those humbling experiences.  Over a year ago I decided to prepare a series of terraces adjacent to our root cellar for a future vineyard (see entry #106). I realized at the time that we knew nothing of grapes and vineyards except for the fact that they needed plenty of sun to thrive.  Just as the many things we have been learning to do at Timber Butte Homestead, I decided to cross the “vintner” bridge when I came to it – which I figured would be the following spring.  As always, time flies and the following spring has now sprung upon us so Nancy and I took a two day road trip to central Washington to visit “Inland Desert Nursery.”  We went there to buy grapevines and get a few basic pointers from a real vintner named Tom Judkins. Our experience was far beyond our expectations.

The five hour drive to Inland Desert Nursery was worth the effort

 Nancy had called ahead and shared our need with Tom’s son Jerry who was more than helpful, especially considering the size of our order. Taking into account our elevation and climatic zone as well as our desire to grow both table and wine grapes Jerry suggested the hardiest varieties for our area. After their short conversation we concluded it would be worth our while to make the five hour drive to pick up our small order so we could get a little more firsthand instruction on planting and care.  Inland Desert Nursery generally only deals with larger commercial operations but was willing to sell us just thirty bare root vines.

Following our GPS we were led several miles out of Benton, Washington through acres of vineyards and fruit orchards until we were told by the mechanical British voice on the GPS (we fondly refer to as Roger) that we had reached our destination on a dirt road in the middle of a vineyard.  There wasn’t a building in sight.  After a quick phone call Tom Judkins’ daughter Kim guided us to a series of structures where dozens of workers were industriously preparing what looked to be hundreds of large commercial orders for the spring planting.  In the scheme of things we felt really insignificant knowing how small our order had been. 

Our friend Sally from England volunteered to help plant the terraces with our new vines

 The morning air was cold and breezy as we stepped out of our car and I think we must have looked a little disorientated as we tried to figure out where to go and who to talk to. It was then that a kind Hispanic lady approached us and asked us if we were there to pick up an order. Realizing our confusion she led us into a nearby green house where we met Tom for the first time.  He immediately recognized us as rookies but treated us as if we were buyers preparing to plant a hundred acre vineyard.  We weren’t expecting anything like the help and attention we received for the next hour.  He took us all through his operation showing us the different growing techniques and new types of grapevines his family was experimenting with.  He had a passion for his work and his easy manner gave us an appreciation and excitement to learn as much as we could in our short time with him. He loaded us in a pickup with his chocolate lab, Harvey, and drove us out into a young vineyard to teach us about constructing trellises and irrigation systems.  He patiently answered our plethora of questions concerning soil condition, vine planting, pruning and watering.  Had I realized we’d be having such a great educational experience I would have brought a notebook to take notes or figured out some other means of retaining all that we were learning. As it was, I made a simple diagram that evening in hopes of reminding myself of some of the simple things I observed.

I drew a quick sketch in hope of retaining some of what I had learned

I can’t imagine Tom would have the time to spend with every customer that he did with us that morning, but for Nancy and me the time he gave us was a rich blessing.   We headed back to our home in Idaho with our heads full of new information and our hearts enriched because of the time we experienced with someone who loved working the land as much as we do.

Arriving back at Timber Butte that evening we were welcomed by Lily, our golden lab, and Sally, a young friend from England who had been watching the homestead in our absence.  After hearing of our adventure Sally volunteered to stay over and help us plant these first vines the next morning.

In the days to come I will chronicle here on the Timber Butte Homestead site our step by step progress growing this first small vineyard for anyone who may be considering doing the same.  I will share as well as I can the experiences we are having and the few things we have learned which are basic and crucial to the success of a productive vineyard.

Tags: country living, Grapes, Inland desert Nursery, Small farm, Sustainable living, Tri Robinson, Vineyard planting, Vintner

We planted potatoes and onions on Monday and they were covered with snow by Thursday, which just happened to be April Fool’s Day.  I’ll admit that I’ve got a bad case of spring fever and the joke was on me. Last week Nancy and I took a walk along the south facing slope of Timber Butte and saw some early flowers peek their heads up in warm protected areas. It put hope in our hearts, but then the weather changed and it was like the proverb states, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick…” (Proverb 13:12a) I, for one, am more than ready for a new season. Next Sunday we will celebrate Easter which is all about resurrection and new beginnings.  This is more like the second half of the same proverb, “…but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverb 13:12b)

During this hard season of recession many folks are struggling in a lot of ways.  There is a scary uncertainty in the air not only economically, but on many fronts.  As a pastor I am constantly aware of people’s fears and personal crisis issues. The stresses of life have a way of causing relational struggles in marriages, with friends, employers and extended family.  Even physical health can be affected.  Most everyone I know is ready for a brighter new season in their lives and like the last few weeks up here at Timber Butte we get glimpses of warmer sunnier days to come. But, then on the heels of the temporary hint of spring weather comes another snow or windy hail storm. 

In all of this, the good news always is the same – God is a God of redemption and renewal.  He is a God of new beginnings and fresh new starts.  Romans 1:20 tells us that God reveals his nature through all that he has created and he created changing seasons. Winter will eventually turn spring even if our hope gets deferred a time or two in the process. God’s intent and promise to those who love him is for the gardens of their lives to spring up and grow in the full sunlight and warmth of his presence. In a way you might say this is the message of Easter.  Jesus came to humanity to bring the provision of redemption to anyone who would accept and receive it. For those who choose to praise him he pours out his grace, healing and the promise for new life. Isaiah put it like this, “The Sovereign Lord will show his justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere.”(Isa. 61:11)

Tags: country living, Easter, homestead, sustainability, Tri Robinson