Last weekend, the Olson Four and the Russell Two shed our city-dweller personas and became farmers! (Be amazed, dear readers, that all of us returned from rural life ... it was with some hesitation that we did so.)
What in the heck am I talking about, let me bring you up to speed. Late last summer, we learned about
Hoehn Bend Farm, which is located in Sedro-Woolley. We tried to get a reservation for 2016 but were informed that they were booked, so if we wanted a summer stay it would have to be in 2017. In January (when reservations for the summer can be made), I hopped on the website and got a farm weekend reserved. The farm house can hold up to 6 people, so we invited our friends Dave and Anne to go with us. As an added bonus, we got the OK to take Buca with us. Win!
This is a working farm and guests are invited to be as involved (or not) in the day-to-day farm activities as they want to be. Umm.... it was a no-brainer to me that we'd get involved. Why go to a farm if you don't get your hands a bit dirty?? The wide-open land was practically screaming out to me. Plus, they have animals (cows, goats, miniature donkeys, chickens, and a pig) right there! Many people would cringe at the idea, but I could hardly wait to get there!
I was like a kid waiting for Christmas in the days leading up to our departure. I'm sure I had a stupid "crazy person" grin on my face the majority of the time.... I didn't care. I was going to a FARM! With animals!
FINALLY, the big day arrived. We packed our stuff, loaded up the car, piled in, and headed north. Unfortunately, our drive was a bit longer than we'd hoped because of Friday afternoon traffic on the freeway, but even that wasn't as bad as it could have been. About 2 hours after we left home, we pulled into the farm's driveway and were greeted by the smell of fresh-cut grass and Farmer Jean's open arms. (Farmer Jean is a woman after my own heart. She loves to plan and document things. We "get" each other and that was obvious from our months of emailing back and forth leading up to our weekend on the farm.) Soon after, we met Maggie (the dog) and Farmer Terry, Jean's husband.
 |
| Our backyard and view for the weekend |
We got the lay of the land and were invited to look around right away. We also learned the three rules of the farm: (1) Don't touch the hot wire, (2) If you open a door or gate, close it right behind you, and (3) Don't go near the pig (Polly) with food or if you smell like food.
Naturally, we were drawn to the animals and were anxious to get a bit more familiar with them. We learned their names, a bit about their personalities, and how they came to be residents of the farm. We also learned that the goats love name-brand saltine crackers (no generic brand will do for them!!) and Polly the pig doesn't like bell peppers (that's my kind of pig!).
 |
| One of the "Spice Girls" |
 |
| One of the cows getting some lovin' from Farmer Jean |
Eventually, we pried ourselves away from the animals and farmers to get settled in the farm house, complete with a mud room (I now have mud room envy!), 3 bedrooms, full kitchen, full bath, and a deck (where we ate dinner both nights). The farm house was very cozy and I felt even more connected to Jean when she made sure to point out where the first aid kid was. (I told you ... two peas in a pod!)
Soon after unloading the cars and figuring out who would sleep where, we headed back outside to help with the evening's farm chores. We piled into the Jeep and trailer to help Terry and Jean feed their herd of cows, some of whom are pregnant and due any time. (I hoped a calf might be born over the weekend, but no such luck.)
 |
| Farmers Terry and Jean, and Maggie the dog driving us out to the cows |
 |
In the trailer feeding the cows -- Farmer Terry pointed out this is the
first time he's had swimsuit-clad farm hands.
The next day, he claimed he'd never had PJ-clad farm hands when he realized
Conor was still in his jammies! |
 |
| Dinner? Get mooooooovin'! |
 |
| Did we hear it is dinner time? |
The critters on the farm were a definite draw from the get-go and they didn't disappoint. The miniature donkeys were wonderful (although, Buca might disagree after they unequivocally evicted him from their area at one point), and the goats have such a comedic personality. Polly the pig adores being scratched behind her ears and wants every ounce of affection possible.
 |
| James (aka Bond James Bond) and Prissy |
 |
| Prissy and me |
 |
| Ginny says "moo" |
 |
| Me with the herd as the sun set behind us |
 |
| Polly says "put down the camera and please scratch me" |
 |
| Cluck! |
 |
| We're now pretty sure that Conor is part goat! |
 |
| The goats in the bed of "their" 1948 Dodge truck |
So, what sorts of farm-based tasks did we wind up doing? Oh my! So many!! The adults learned how to drive tractors (yeehaw!) and wound up showing we have quite a knack driving farm equipment here and there. Who knew?? The kids helped collect eggs and transported the chickens to their outdoor coop in the mornings and back to the barn each night. Annika, Conor, and Anne also took the mini donkeys (James, Prissy, and Wee-Wee) on a walk around the field to get some exercise and nibble on the freshly-cut grass. We also helped feed the various farm critters and learned some basics about caring for them.
 |
| Conor showing his egg-hunting prowess |
 |
| Annika "helping" Farmer Terry |
 |
| Conor and James chilling in the field |
 |
| The kids walking their donkeys |
 |
Anne trying to convince Prissy to walk with her
(Prissy was too interested in snacking to listen to Anne's "STEP UP! PLEASE??" commands) |
 |
| Yup. I drove a tractor, too! This was my view from the driver's seat. |
 |
| Annika getting last-minute instructions from Eric before she hits the accelerator |
 |
| Conor behind the wheel of the Jeep |
While we did dive into farm life and help out, we also had time to relax and enjoy our rural environment. A hammock swing hangs from the apple tree just outside the farm house, and that swing was rarely without one of us in it. It was so popular among the kids that we adults had to set timers to make sure there was an equal amount of swing time for each munchkin.
 |
| A hammock, a sunny day, and a bag of Pirate's Booty.... what could be better? |
 |
| Annika relaxing in the swing |
 |
| Laughter all around |
 |
| Happy boy |
 |
| Yup, I even got a few turns in the swing |
 |
| Good buddies! |
We also filled our free time with playing a lot of frisbee, baseball (well, our version of it), and the kids ran through the sprinkler so much that they turned pruny! Buca also enjoyed his leisure time on the far and was incredibly grateful for the wading pool the farmers filled up for him.
 |
| Buca was grateful for the apple tree's shade -- we topped out at 96 degrees! |
 |
The kids had lots of fun in the sprinkler
|
 |
| The Three Farming Amigos |
 |
| Anne showing off her inner-country girl |
 |
| Dave and Eric enjoying some leisure time on the deck at the end of the day |
 |
| This was a common sight all weekend long |
 |
| Annika getting ready her her next pitch |
 |
| Farm girls chew on grass, right? |
 |
| And so do farm boys! |
 |
| Frisbee galore |
 |
| Run, Dave, Run! |
 |
| Eric enjoying some R&R after a busy day on the farm |
 |
| Anne's action shot |
 |
| Batter up! |
The extra news from our trip is Conor lost another tooth while we were at the farm. The was sitting on the deck wiggling it when out it came. Who knew farming was so good for tooth loss???
During some down time, Farmer Jean took us on a tour of their other property, which was purchased by Terry's grandparents in the early 20th century (1910 or 1917, I believe). Part of the property was used as a Christmas tree farm, which was abandoned many years ago. The trees grew into a forest and frame a very pretty meadow. We also saw the bulls/steer, a frog pond, and some incredible old buildings. The barn on the property was built in 1904 and is preserved by the Historical Society. How neat is that??
 |
| The kids in front of the 1904 barn |
 |
hat a view!
 |
| We went lots of places in the Jeep over the weekend |
|
 |
| Maggie keeping up with us as we drove through the field |
 |
| Abandoned Christmas tree farm |
 |
| 1904 barn |
 |
| Antique farm equipment |
 |
| Don't mess around with farmers or their stuff! |
On our way home Sunday (with Eric behind the wheel, not Conor), we found ourselves recapping our weekend away. Eric said he wasn't sure what to expect and what expectations he did have were blown away. He very much enjoyed the hospitality and ability to really get involved on the farm. Terry and Jean are not only farmers ... they are educators (Terry used to teach 4th grade) and do an incredible job sharing information about the land, its history, and why/how they do what they do. We are so grateful they welcome people to their farms and hope to return for another fun stay at the farm.
No comments:
Post a Comment