Saturday, December 12, 2015

Treasure hunt turns up mushroom in the Ozarkas







These lovely's are oyster mushrooms in the wild.  My son found them today while we were out on our adventure.  We did not find much with the metal detectors, but found found tons of amazing rocks and these mushrooms which will become part of our dinner.  We will also clone the mushrooms so we can grow them at home.  We already have the blue oyster mushrooms growing so this will be a wonderful addition to them.
Oyster mushrooms are easy to grow and require some sunlight.  Most of the media is easy to come by coffee grounds are what we use, but some people use wood chips and even straw.  
We just wanted to share a bit of what we were doing with all of you.

From all of us on the mountain be blessed
Shekhinah

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

67 year old Westing House stove- A small fire and repair

Michael Davis is amazing, our 67-year-old Westing House stove is working again. I am so grateful for old tech and a wise husband.

This was a small part of the problem as you can see by the wire in the photo, there is more and it all looks like this. The boss replaced the wires on both of the right side burners with wire from our newer stove. MIke"s Menards!

The arch was so intense it burned the hoop right of the pin in the photos that help the wires off the metal, Mike fashioned another.

Not what we had planned to do today, but I am grateful it died during use and not while we were sleeping.

When you save and reuse you old stuff it is like making money. Today a new stove of lesser quality would cost between $600-$1000. It would not be as good as what we currently have. It would be some cheap made in China junk and nobody wants that!

However, fixing this artifact did bring up another important point to both of us. There are no service manuals available for these stoves and even less parts. So we will be making one to help others like us create a future from the past.

We would also like to thank our dear friends Judy A. Martin and her husband Eddy for answering their phone today. We could not figure out how to get the top part of the stove to open, it slides than lifts up, trial and error. Most stoves of today have clips that you pop and it opens, so now we know. Eddy and Judy are two of the wisest people we know and I must admit it is a bit intimidating to go where they have not gone. We love you both, thank you for watching over us...


This was our day on the mountain...

Be Blessed
Shekhinah


Friday, October 30, 2015

DELL and Alienware

Nice day, had a lot of fun at the feed store and Walmart, I have been a bit concerned about working on the show in the local community, but I feel a bit better about it now​.   I just wish I could get Alienware to get their act together.  I am on hold with them now.  In total, if my journals are correct and I believe them to be, I have spent a total of three weeks talking to them about this computer in the last year and a half.  That is sad and shows their lack of respect in dealing with their customers.  Mike and I have talked about doing a show around the event.  We would call it, “ The Farmer n’ the DELL.”  Their music that they use while you are on hold is haunting and rings in your head for hours.  I swear it is the stuff of nightmares. 

In other news, the other Jews of the community invited us to Hardy, which is fun since a Pagan Group also invited us to that area. However, it is too far for me to drive right now.  I will be taking the kids around a little more local.
I am making a lovely meal for tomorrow when we return...Hamburgers and a dish that is sort of like mashed potatoes with extras.  I wanted turnips, but mine are not ready, and the store wanted to much, so no other root veggies, we all do what we can. Tonight the boys will have pizza, and they are very excited about going.  I Thing I will use the drive time to teach them the solemness of the day and how we should look back and look forward to the next season.  I am not overly thrilled with this modern holiday; I bet no one could tell. 

In my finds today they had yellow squash and zucchini for sale .49 cents pound, so I bought ten pounds, and when I am done on here I am going to turn it into pasta.  I still have a five-gallon bucket of tomatoes that I need to make into salsa and pasta sauce. 

So that is about it, no other fantastic news…

Be Blessed
Shekhinah on the Mountain....

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Good morning from the mountain...


Good morning from the mountain... I am finally up out of bed and moving around.  Since one of my other friends is cleaning carpets, I thought I would as well today.  At least in the boys room. 

Still need to make a ton of phone calls as well.  I hate that I live in a country where disabled people are second class citizens and subject to homeless at the whim of officials without compassion.   It says too much about the poor state of affairs that so many working people, disabled people, and small farms are singled out, while constant law breakers are rewarded with government help for their less than positive behavior.  As it goes without saying that so many people abuse the system, there are many more who do not, who need and rely on it and I guess I will speak for them.


While I am on a roll, I am sick of people messing with gun rights and wanting to ban guns.  No one is forced to leave Christianity because a “ Christian”, killed people.   Yet you too many will defend the act and say that they do not represent the Christian faith as a whole, well kindly tell me what does.
Every day I watch people go without food, not because they are lazy, but because of other events that have brought them to that place.  Many are unable, not unwilling to work, some are even in school full time and unable to get help.  I do not see any campaign to feed the struggling masses, or to find jobs for them, housing, etc.  I sure do see a lot of people wanting to wave flags and denounce others as being intolerant.


I think it is intolerant to spout how much you do without while others eat dirt, many of us are not rich, but then money is not the only way to repair a broken country and world.  You repair it by being Human and using that same strength you use to defend a lion and defend the rights of a child to have a home and food and education and love.  Use the will that you have voiced either for or against gay rights to care or visit an elderly person and protect them from loneliness and harm, make sure they have food and shelter as well.  I have a poem that goes on the back of every mustard pendant I sell, not because I want you to feel sorry for me, not because I want your money, thought it would be nice to have some, but because the message is so clear and precise.

Plant a Seed
By Wendy Bridges
2000
I may not
Be able to
clothe the naked,
but I can lead you my coat.
I may not be rich enough
To feed the starving masses,
but I can make you a sandwich.
I may not be able to stop air pollution,
but I can stop blowing smoke in your face.
I may not be able to clean up the environment of the planet,
but I can help you rake your yard.
I may not be smart enough to end illiteracy,
But I can read you a story and walk you to school.
I may not be able to eliminate war or stop the violence,
but I can be peaceful and kind to you right now.
I may not be able to end world poverty,
but I can share what I have with you.
I may not be able to end pain and suffering,
but I can hold your hand and
lend you a shoulder.
I may not be able to save humanity,
But I can nurture a child.
I may not be able to turn
The world back into
A garden,
but I can
plant a
seed.

It is in the doing of these things that we are made human… not by the words in a book, but by the words in our hearts. 






Friday, July 31, 2015

To be punished for working a new american way!




Farmers who do not show a profit are being told by the SNAP people to quit farming.  Any of them receiving Snap are punished for non-compliance and their children are denied crucial food benefits.  So just remember only the government is allowed to fail, all others must quit and succumb to object poverty to satisfy the qazi false G-d of bureaucracy. In their new handbook if you are self-employed they will now go by your last years taxes to determine your benefits now!  What does this mean to many hard working people, it means that much like that farmers they will be subject to using old data to provide for this year.  I have to say I do not understand it at all.  To not use the actual amount of money that someone makes vs the amount they have made in the past...Yet people work for a company are not subject to the rules, I see a clear and dangerous, damning pattern of behaviour from this.  That will take the working poor to the level of indentured slaves to the state and nearly remove from them all possibilities of hope.  I see in this that though the government speaks about being pro-business it is nothing less than half-truths and outright lies.  We must learn to defend ourselves from this sort of ridiculous behavior where one is literally punished not only for the dream but for the result of trying.  In these people eyes, it is better to give up working and be a ward of a system gone amuck, devoid of reason and practical devotion to truth and effort. A society that dams the working class, the working poor, and in the end dams us all!

Be Blessed
Shekhinah from the mountain...

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

New book release for the farm....please except a free copy




Good morning dear ones, we are very excited to share our new book with you for free...

Great Granola: Mahanaim Farms Guide to Good Food Book One

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0110ZA274?*Version*=1&*entries*=0


It is a fun filled recipe book that will have you living better and saving money at the same time.  It has been a great joy to create this book and I know you are going to love it and have I mentioned that just for today it is free!

Please pass the information around to as many people as you can, I need a thousand downloads of this book to get a contract to publish in the real world.  

How could you go wrong, you are getting a free book and doing a good deed what could be better? 

Well now that you mention it, you could leave a little feedback on the Amazon site for me, gosh it would be a big help!  I want you to be happy, but I want you to leave feedback even if you are not!  I want to write the very best books out there and I can do that with your help.  No, you don't have to leave feedback, but you are welcome too and I would be so happy!!!

If you would like to check out my other book you can do that also, not free today, not expensive either.  I want everyone to have a chance to learn from our farm and to share that knowledge with others.

This is the link to our Hydroponics Book...it is an overly simplified guide to making your own Hydroponics system, from stuff you can buy cheaply nearly anywhere.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OPJXMN4?*Version*=1&*entries*=0


  A little warning I have a new book coming out later in the week, it is a foraging guide book, one is a series to help you find free food.  Most of the plants grow worldwide, so keep your eyes open for it...


Be Blessed dear ones and know that you are loved and needed...
Shekhinah, Michael, Elijah and Elisha and all the critters here on the Mountain...

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Spiritual studies in a dark world...Free Yeshiva?


Have you ever wanted to attend Yeshivah, but you live in the middle of nowhere. Well now you can; Kosher Torah is making it possible in the form of a virtual Yeshivah were everyone is welcome. People from all over the world and from many different backgrounds attend daily. There are also live classes. I could not make it through a week without the one I attend. Our teacher reaches from all traditions to offer the very best in spiritual development for his students.

Very soon the whole format of the site will change allowing classes that once cost money to be free. You can attend at your time, any time of day. Learning Torah has never been more accessible. This is a great time to learn and grow. Please share this link with others...



From Shekinah on the Mountain
Be Blessed dear ones....and know that a little light dispels the darkness!

Monday, June 15, 2015

Complicated useless thoughts about the world!

Today the world is making me feel like a mom who is sick of hearing her children fighting!  I have to wonder while I sit up here on the mountain why do people have to fight all the time. what a primitive group of beings we must be. 

 I had more faith that I could save the life of the little sparrow whose nest was destroyed than I do for my fellow man.  Even in death he will do more than most of us are doing in life.  In his short time with us he brought us joy, he excepted our help without question.  When he first came into my home he was blind, had no feathers to protect me from the cold or heat and was not much of a looker. It chances of staying alive wer not great, but he did his best and so did he.  Each day that I awoke to him crying out to be feed was a blessing.  I still think of the fact that I was the first thing his tiny eyes saw and how amazing it was to know that he knew he was not alone. Each gain he made was as if we had gained as well. Then we noticed he was just a bit off, but it did not stop us from loving him, feeding him, cleaning him, etc.  He was important to us because he existed. This morning he died, his life was very short, but I think happy, he had food, comfort, love, all the things that make living worthwhile.  Best of all, he never cared that his mom was not a bird.  He was just happy to be happy!

I was 12 years old when I can to the realization that race should not matter, at 47 I am wondering what is up with people deciding what race or color another person is. Why is this a big deal? It is a big deal because we live in this world where people must constantly define their place in it.


One can not say to me, I am in the wrong body and then complain about someone feeling the same about race. Maybe if more people studied other people's cultures they would find places where they felt happy or comfortable, I don't know!


I do know that instead of feeding the hungry, caring for the old or the widow, orphan, etc; we are instead filling our days with useless junk as to if someone has the right to call themselves, black, white or other. What if we just defined ourselves as people, then no one who have to say this person thinks they are better than me because of the color of their skin or their cultural beliefs. Maybe we could all grow up and be alright with who we are, instead of finding fault in others we could heal ourselves.


It is not complicated, it is not about religion, it is about doing what is right! Not allowing ourselves to be led astray by such ridiculous behavior that is tearing not only our country apart but the world itself. So just for today, please consider yourself as something bigger than a race or a color, consider yourself human! Instead of bashing each other, go out and do something with each other, that does not involve guns, rocks, sticks, signs etc.


If you must hold a sign, hold one that says love everyone! Be kind and thoughtful! Live like there is no tomorrow, because it can happen that you do not wake up in the morning and what a dreadful way to go with so much misplaced emotions in the way.
The only way life works is if we all live it...

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Ebay attacks small American egg farmers!

eBay Launched un-American fees in order to clear the path for overseas markets. While many small farms are recovering in American, many still struggle to make ends meet. Our farm is one of them, we sell hatching eggs all across the country and we are very good at what we do. In the past, I have had problems with eBay policies and have managed to move forward.


So, here is the thing eBay says, that small farms can go to hell! Ok, maybe not in those words, but for all practical reasons, yes!
You are now expected to graciously give Ebay another dollar upfront to sell hatching eggs or other agricultural goods. Their new policies make no considerations for the small American farmer, they want a farmer to list eggs for ten days...because people are abusing one-day and three-day listings. Most of those listing are overseas companies. 

So screw the small American farmer who is already in many cases giving eBay a third of what they sell their goods for and then another portion for Pay Pal, so that in the end the farmer makes almost nothing. eBay is pleased with their new money making scream, I am disgusted for myself and the other small farms that in the past have used eBay, but now as of today have to rethink whether they can afford to be in business with ebay at all...please feel free to tell eBay to help preserve a way of life for small American farms!


This is the news from the mountain dear ones...please tell ebay to protect the small American farm and not to make Anti-Farm policies!






Friday, April 24, 2015

Rainy day














Good morning from the mountain, it is a rainy day today, which for all general concerns is a good thing.  Our gardens are in great need of water.  I am sorry that I have not been following up with all of you; I have been very busy just keeping up with my school work and the farm.

So far, I have managed to get the first three gardens in.  In the first outermost garden, we have peas, soloist Chinese cabbage, red romaine, yellow bell peppers, cayenne peppers, celery, corn, and zucchini.  The other garden is planted with cucumbers and a red tomatoes variety. The third garden has beets, leeks and other root vegetables planted.  Still need to finish planting it; I have more beets to go in and more carrots, and I think I am planting the Envy soybeans out there as well. Still trying to figure out how to where to put all the plants that I have started. 
           
Yesterday I started clearing garden number four, which I had planted with rye to give it ground cover.  I was out a little longer than I needed to be and am now the recipient of a nasty little sunburn.  However, I managed to get a good size section done and will continue working on it once the rain passes.  I am planting the red and green noodle beans in this garden.  I think I will plant the blue tomatoes out there as well, some purple carrots, a mix of radishes and some painted lady runner beans. 
           
Then I have to get back to work in the other garden which is closer to the house, the strawberries will be ready in a few days and I have been harvesting asparagus for a few weeks already.  I also have Jerusalem artichokes in this garden, and Egyptian onions.  Mostly I clear unwanted grass from it and leave alone, and add a few long lasting plants to go with it.  This year I think I will add a blueberry bush, seems like a safe place for it.  I will plant a few tomatoes plants out there as well.  Mostly the cherry tomatoes and the current tomatoes, this year we are planting chocolate cherry tomatoes, blueberry tomatoes, more carrots, red ones I think.
           
I will soon be ready to plant the corn in three sisters tradition, with our prize winning pumpkins and our CWY trail of tear beans in one section and the other side with crowed peas.  Last year this worked very well for us and we see no reason not to follow the traditions of our ancestors.  I still of course need to get the melons and watermelons, okra and other peppers, and more potatoes plants in too…          
            We have onions and garlic planted everywhere…Our fruit trees are loaded with fruit, peaches, pears and apples, autumn olives and the berry bushes are looking great.   Our grapes still of course need to still go into the ground, we need to put an arbor up for them fist.  The one I replanted two years ago is looking like it made it through the long winter so I feel we should be able to get them to grow with a little work. 
           
I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I promise it is worth it…raising your own food is one of the most amazing things you could ever do.  You know where your food comes from, whose hands have touched it and you know that it is free of pesticides and other harmful elements.  No GMOs foods are grown here!

Our soil is our most important feature of our farm, rich and black from years of animal byproducts, powdered kelp, mineral salts, and the help of worms and nematodes has been incredibly productive for us.  Just ten short years ago the soil here was lifeless; we brought in worms and introduced many new creatures to the soil in these past ten years.  Now you can reach down and scoop up worms by the handfuls, plants grown and thrive and even our wild plants seem happy and full of life.

Now to our wild food:  No mushrooms of any amount yet this season.  We have harvested and cooked dandelion greens, which I brought up from my home in Florida, and I hope to make fritter soon. We have harvested some of our curly dock, another yummy wild green; it also gives us a wild form of buckwheat that I use to bake bread. Yesterday I saw the goose-foot which is wild spinach forming in little groups here and there.  Our daylilies look great too, I always forget about them and our roses.

I am also happy to announce that this year all the herbs made it…I cannot tell you how happy that makes me.  My sage is flowering; my rosemary, mint, lemon balm, and oregano all look fantastic.  This year we are adding lemon grass, catnip, and a few other herbs to the fields and pastures, you can never have too many herbs.

Now to the animals we opted last season to temporarily removed cows from the farm until we can find a young healthy cow of a size that I can handle on my own.  Cows are a great deal of work and far too much for me to deal with at this time.  I have one retired milk goat left, one Jacob sheep, a few mini horses, a mini donkey, and my horse.  Aside from these we have our geese, ducks, chickens, pigeons, and the mini pigs and they all keep us very busy.  Our cow spotted mice, our snake, and two baby snapping turtles.  Add in the dogs and cats and it starts to seem like a zoo.

We have been selling hatching eggs which gives us enough money to feed them all, but scarcely more.  This has been a good week for us though, and we have been able to help other small farms start their first flocks.   This year we are selling goose eggs, duck and chicken, every now and then pigeon eggs.

I need to get back to work so I will have to go for now dear ones.  I do want to leave you with this:  You may not be able to return the world to a garden, but you can plant a seed!
Be Blessed
Shekhinah and all the kids and critters on Mahanaim Farm


           


Thursday, February 19, 2015

Afternoon from the Mountain

We are still snowed in which is fine, as I have plenty to keep me on the homestead.  I washed floors today and did some more school work, dishes after heating water three times.  I only have one type of water at the moment as the hot water line is frozen solid thanks to our -3 degree F temps of last night.  I am grateful to have one type of water at least and a way to heat it.  When through some more papers and draws in the house, a little before spring house cleaning.
I also sat down today to order new seeds, I am looking forward to a good growing year and if not I do have the hydroponics systems.  I cannot wait to grow greens in them.  It is all so existing, new radishes, carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers or and Dutch blue peas.  I love growing the foods my ancestors could have grown; there is something so pure and clean about it.  It just makes me happy to play in the soil.  I have a goal of once again selling fresh produce as well, it all takes time.
Speaking of time, the show we were going to has been rescheduled till March 7th, and my soap will be done by then and so will my lip balms.  Maybe the new jewelry I ordered as well.  I order new cases for the rings and the glass that I have made, so it is all coming together.  I am so looking forward to going!
Our latest ongoing project is going off the grid.  So far, the security lights are doing an excellent job and I really like that extra 20 bucks a month, since I am not spending it on the power.  I have been shopping for solar panels and kits and what I have found is a package that for $4000 dollars will provide the main house will all the power it needs.  We can even afford it, well almost!
I did the math as to how it all breaks down.  If I could make $133 dollars for one month, I would have the money.  In comparison to our monthly electric bill which can be anywhere from $150 to $350 per month.  If I looked at the money, I am looking to spend in compared to the bill we currently have it would be $333.33 for each month for 12 months and I would own it.  It comes with a 25-year warranty, so in essence I would be getting 24 years of free power.  Since I am figuring on the amount of energy I use averaged out at around the same quantity, somewhere around $333.33 per month than in the 24 year of its promised life, I will make $96,000.  Not too shabby and I will never have to deal with the power company and their toxic sprays ever again.
Otherwise, I have no new news to offer; I just add to this note a request that you all stay safe and think about how we treat the world around us. 
Be blessed dear ones…
Shekhinah



Sunday, February 15, 2015

Good afternoon from the mountain....and the weather is looking bad


A good very cold afternoon from the mountain, we are now within an hour or so of the first part of the storm hitting our mountain.  It is already dreadfully cold, so much so that even the flies have left and well good ridens to them and their kind.  It is not snowing or raining yet, which just means there will be more when it does come.  We are expecting 5-8 inches of snow today and a few more tomorrow.  We are ready though. 
We have food for all the livestock for the next three weeks and enough for ourselves as well.  Heaters going on the pipes, little baby birds safely stashed in heated places.  We have heaters going on the pipes so we should not lose hot water this time.  The temps this week will be as low as 4 degrees; I feel that even a polar bear might shiver at the thought.  Not to mention it is warmer in Alaska today than it is here.

That said, peas are in the ground, potatoes are ready to go into the ground.  The potatoes growing in the basement should produce a nice crop of potatoes by Mid-March and the hydroponics system is looking great.  I have new tomatoes plants growing that will be ready to move into the system in about a week, so by April we will have fresh tomatoes.  It is all very exciting.  Our turnips outside look great and we should be able to cook some more up soon.  The leeks are coming along nicely as well.
As to other life issues the boys finally learned to tie their own shoes, I am so happy.  They are doing great in school and learning all kinds of wonderful things.  We have even talked about going to the spelling bees here in our state, when I find out where they are held.  They are growing up so fast.
I of course am still writing but I have not published anything else, save the two books.  School has kept me remarkable busy and lacking in all manner of free time.  But I assure you all that it will not last forever and I shall endeavor to finish at least one book this month. 
In other farm news, our first goose egg of the season was laid today; I hope to begin selling them soon.  I have a current outstanding order to fill so I am glad to have the first egg.  Our other birds are starting to pick up on laying so we should soon be doing a bit better.  We are also in the process of taking the well of power and switching at least it over to solar.  It should help to lower the power bill and give us peace of mind. 
The one thing I cannot do without is water…No other new things to talk about so I will get back to cooking and preparing the house for this dreadful weather.

Be blessed

Shekhinah



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OPJXMN4

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Good evening from the Mountain and a peek of America's college system

Good evening from the mountain, I have been almost totally consumed with school for the past few weeks so I am sorry for not touching base with you all sooner.  The farm is slowly coming back to life and so am I, spring is creeping up on us ever so slowly.

I have started some tomatoes, some beets and some peas.  I want to plant some more turnips, but have not had the time.  Some of the birds have started laying eggs, that makes me happy.  We have new puppies, not so happy about that...but it is what it is!

Aside from that I have been doing tons of school work as I have shared with you below.  This is one of the reason America can not compete with other countries.
Below is an assignment for a discussion board in one of my classes at Ozark.  I swear the drivel they put into the heads of our youth is ridiculous.
I want to say for the record that not all people are the same, nor should they be judged that way. A tall person could have a far different "body mass" than a short person and both could be in perfect health.  It is nothing short of stupid to tell someone they will be sick if they do not measure up.

Then I think, hmm I wonder how many people kill themselves every year trying to reach this level of perfection or kill them selves as a result of not being able to.  I am all for people being healthy, I really am, but have a realistic goal and process for gaining this.  Not all people need to be thin or even want to be.  Only communism dictates such doctrine as all are equal and if not they will be made to be.  I ask did we lose a war?  Are we so image minded that we will buy into the dogma of BMI?

Just maybe our health issues and weight issues as a country stem from the overly processed food we eat, just some food for thought.

This was the question:

Please use this discussion thread to discuss how body composition assessment can help you each, as individuals, change an attitude of ignoring personal health and weight management issues into planning behavior change and long term success.  (ie. Why is it important to know your body composition and how can you use it to make behavior changes and monitor progress?)


Honestly I am unimpressed with the results and I personally will not use body measurements in this way.  It reminds me of the people who believed you could use measurements of people’s craniums to tell if they were sane or normal, how intelligent they might be, etc.  It even went as far as to tell if someone might be a criminal and even was used to diagnose health conditions by “real” doctors.  Hitler used a similar process to decide what the perfect person was.  Anytime people start relying on such methods, they fall prey to a replacement theology of pseudo-scientific hogwash.  Not only are these methods not accurate but they are dangerous giving people a false image of self.  Many women today live under the terms of beauty as defined by men and not nature.  On this I will chose to disagree with our book.

Stuff like this just really makes my day!

But back to the books for me...

Be Blessed
Shekhinah
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OPJXMN4


Saturday, January 10, 2015

USDA Traumatizing Farmers and farms on Satuday

Good evening from the mountain, I and the farm have had a challenging day. We had made the final prep for the storm that is coming our way, when at around 3:30 on this Saturday NASS showed up on my farm looking for goats. 


The surprise is on them, all my goats are gone, between wolves( that were let go by the Fish and Wildlife division), fires,and chemical trespasses there is no point in having them.  It breaks my heart when each one dies and no one should have such a thing happen to them. 

Back to my main point I had filled in and sent their survey to them as mandated by law, you can go to jail for not filling it out. You have to understand in America no one is really free, we are forced to subject ourselves to the USDA and even though we have bought our animals we are but stake holders of them.  

My husband Mike met the USDA worker at our gate, he offer to get me, since it is my name on the paper work, but she said it was ok.  Mike gave her an earful as to why we have no goats, I would have been glad to fill her other ear.  

The average age of a farmer in America is now 58 and guess what there are very few young people like us wanting to replace them. Farming is a hard life and in America it is even harder, when I must answer to some one for every animal I have, what I do with them and such I have no freedom at all!  

I ask where were these people when the people next to me lit the fire that killed our baby goats, did they help no.  where were they when the wolfs were turned loose?  Where where they when the power company sprayed our land.  Their job has nothing to with helping farmers or protecting the food supply it is nothing less than a bureaucratic barrage of fools, claiming the goods and hard work of people with little say.  How can one survive in such a place and keep they mind in a calm place.  I obey the rules and I am punished, others with wealth buy their way around the rules.  I am sick of it.  

Who want to be a farmer anyway...

Be Blessed
Shekhinah

A short story in the classic Katabasis form which takes place in our modern time. A epic tale so reviling of our cultural complacency that it will leave the reader shocked and dismayed, perhaps its telling will even force the reader to rethink their own life quest. The Gift is not your everyday run of the mill short story, it is so much more!



Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Open letter to the President in response to his pep talk to the American people over low gas prices


Good morning from the mountain.

Below is the prescient running his mouth about the low gas prices...and below that is my open letter to him. 


https://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/obama-to-americans--enjoy-cheap-gas--but-don-t-count-on-it-141931096.html

Well thank you Sir for the pep talk about how I should not get used to the low price of gas!  Look people can barley make it now, telling them of a future doom when they can put food of value on their tables for the first time in months is nothing less than evil. 

That is not helping!  

This is not the change America was looking for!  

It also is not helping to say people now have an extra $3000. per year due to the lower gas prices, this makes me question your ability to think clearly. I personally have tightened my belt so tight Sir that all I have left is change!  Maybe if you had to live a little less large you would understand.  Many times in our home we have to make many sacrifices; we are more than human resources to be starved or fed at your desire. 

We who are the working masses of this Country are tired of being told to deal with it; Sir we have dealt with it!  As we have dealt with huge debt and laws that serve no purpose.  While you take vacation after vacation, I am barely able to keep my farm running, heat in our house and keep food of value on our table, while your wife Sir tells people to eat healthy, people like us live in food deserts, even when we can find fruit or vegetables, we can not afford to acquire them until they are marked down. 

I quite frankly wish you would just stop talking you embarrass us all with this dreadful behavior, and Sir it makes me sad to be an American in YOUR America!  

Please for the love of all that is Holy quit helping me while I can still afford to breath...

Your help is killing the America I love.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Selling seeds on the mountain...


This year Mahanaim Farm is offering up some very special Heirloom seeds that we have grown and will continue to grow on our farm.  Our family is honored to be able to offer these seeds to everyone.  All seeds offered are open air pollinated, Heirloom seeds, but have been organically grown on our farm.  I do not believe in the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.  I believe it is important not only how we grow our plants but how our seeds are grown. 
In the commercial growing world, seed plants are allowed to have twice the level of pesticide as normally food grown crops that means more chemicals will be in the ground and in the seed, no one that I know what want that on their conscience. 
Our seeds come from the very best of our plants chosen for fruit or vegetable shelf life, size, quality of produce.  In this photo you see my son Elijah holding an unripe pumpkin.

You can see he is a bit sad, but winter was coming so the pumpkin had to be picked and brought into the house.
Each of the two patches produced a huge number of larger pumpkins with good meat and lots of yummy seeds.  Below are some photos of some of our pumpkins and even a prize winner from the fair.


The pumpkin is behind us, we had too many things to get into the photo, that’s the way it is sometimes.  Too much yummy home grown food, for one photo, next year we will take more photos.





You can expect pumpkins to look like this when full grown.

The photo below shows one growing on the fence.






These seeds are available in sets of five seeds for one dollar, plus a little extra for shipping.

If you are interested in purchasing seeds, you can pay us through paypal, or with cash or money order by mail.  Our email address is raziel133@yahoo.com
Please let us know how you will be paying and how many sets you would like.

Be Blessed 
Shekhinah