Jack, How Did You Get There?

Yesterday we were up in the field raking hay, and when we came back we didn't find Jack waiting at the door like we normally do. We checked everywhere, calling his name, until finally we found him stuck in our parents room.  Somehow he must have accidentally closed the door on himself and couldn't get out. He had ripped up a plastic bag and left it in shreds and had pulled pillows off the bed.  He slunk out of the room when we found him because he knew he was probably in trouble, but he wasn't in trouble. He just got laughed at. --Sophie

Carver Days

Last weekend we went to the George Washington Carver National Monument for Carver Day's.  It was hot and sticky, but we did a whole bunch of stuff to get a Junior Ranger badge.  We had to find out information from other people about the Fort Scott National Monument, find out what was unique about Wildcat Glades Center,  ask the Missouri Department of Conservation people why fire is important to a prairie, paint a picture, make a card by hitting flower petals with a rock to get the natural color off of it, label a drawing of a peanut plant, and research some dates in the cemetery.  Elena didn't really want to do it, but Mom  made her. When we had all of it done, we turned in our papers to a park official and we got our first ever Junior Ranger badges. I felt tired but proud. Later I saw a girl at the park wearing a vest COVERED with badges from all over the U.S., so now I've decided to try to get a Junior Ranger badge wherever I can! -- Sophie

The River

One of the things we like best about living here is how close we are to the river. Our mom takes us to swim there sometimes and it's really fun. It's refreshing, and we get to see all the fish. There are also a whole bunch of cool rocks. I like to find flat ones and skip them across the water. We can float down the river (a little), or you can turn the other way and keep paddling but still stay in one spot. It's a good way to work up an appetite. You can also fish, canoe and kayak down the river.  The river is really low now because we haven't had any rain this summer, so canoeing might be kind of hard. I think I'll stick with swimming for now. - Sophie

Anything with a Stinger

So you know how bad the hornets are? My mom was hanging clothes on the line, and there were hornet nests in the metal poles. Sophie and I were hanging from the poles and  - BANG - Sophie was hit.  She got stung. So now I check the door before I walk out because I don't want to end up like Sophie.   -LANEY ;p

Our Fourth of July

We took a break from the farm and we went to our "aunt's" house for the Fourth of July. We couldn't have fireworks because of a burn ban because of a drought, but we survived. We went to swim at Bull Shoals Lake with Jack, our dog. It was Jack's first time swimming. He didn't like the water, but when we kids were far away from him he got anxious and jumped on a floatie that was close to him and started barking. When we came back to see what he was barking about we saw him floating like a pro! I thought he looked cute! Daddy was embarrassed because he expected Jack to be a brave hunting dog and instead he enjoys floating on a pink floatie. -- Sophie

Taking a Break

For the last couple of days we have been at our "aunt's" house (really, a close family friend). We took our dog with us on the 2 hour drive, and he threw up at least 8 times. When we got there, our dog met new friends, the new puppies Thor and Odin. Thor is a golden Labrador and Odin is a German  Shepherd. When we woke up every morning,  I would call my dog, and he would come back with beggar lice, which is like little spiky brown stuff on his face. When we went home, my mom got some pills so we wouldn't get carsick. She gave our dog a pill (wrapped in cheese, of course) and my sister took one too.  The pill said it might cause drowsiness.  They both slept for 120 miles, so I'd say the stuff worked! ;) -Laney

Blackberries, Blackberries, Blackberries

Hello again, this is Sophie, and I want you to know about our blackberries.We have 2 big clusters of bushes of blackberries in the field and a few single ones scattered around. Right now we pick one side of field each day because it gets really hot (100 degrees)!  We've been getting a gallon each time we go out.

When we pick them we use our blackberry holders - milk gallon jugs that Daddy cut the top off of.  We tie the jugs to our belt loops so our hands are free for picking. We also have blackberry sticks. These are long sticks that my dad cut. They have a bit of a branch sticking out at the top, so they look like crochet hooks. We use the sticks to pull branches to us or to hold branches out of the way.

When we go blackberry picking it's fun because Jack, our dog, likes to sniff around.  When we get a lot of blackberries, Mom can make a crumble. Crumbles taste really good. Here's a link to the recipe our mom uses for blackberry crumble. Getting stuck by the blackberry thorns is worth it when our mom makes this! Thanks for reading!

A Haircut Meant to Be

Sophie got a new haircut, and my Mom and I think that it makes Sophie look smaller, and Sophie realized her neck was really long . I didn't get my hair cut because I want to grow it up to 18 inches long and cut off 10 inches and donate them to locks of love for cancer people. -- Laney

Jack, the Dog?

There are pigs who want to be dogs ,and then there is jack who is a dog but acts more like a pig. That would describe my dog. He grunts. He begs for food and eats just about anything. Jack was given to us by  a family friend.  She found him in the street on a hot summer day and took him in. He is sooooooo cute! We think he is a mixed breed.  He is the family's first dog because when we still lived in our old house there were NO pets allowed, so when we moved out into the country we made the decision to cope with a dog, and so that is our dog's life story for now.(P.S. he is seven in dog years).   ;)    - Laney

The Beginning

We're Elena and Sophia, ten-year-old twins.  About a year ago our family moved from a house in town to a home in the country with four acres of land.  Our mom and dad want to turn this place into a self-sufficient family farm, and they've been trying out new things like gardening and composting. They are learning a lot about homesteading, and we are learning a lot along the way too. This is a record of what we love and hate about living in the country and trying to become two girls and a farm.