Templar Farms

06/14/2022

Today and the next few days. The farm animals and us are all trying our best to stay coolish...Hope everyone is doing the same for this odd heat so early in June!

06/13/2022

Summer temperatures, are now upon us here on the farm, in the Huntington, Indiana area!!! 🌞 🌡

Please, stay hydrated and take multiple breaks throughout the day. If you are feeling light headed, nausea coming on, chills or see spots? Time to get to a cooler place and drink the proper liquids. This would be a few signs of dehydration! When in doubt. Seek medical attention emedetly! Better to be safe! 🙂 So, enjoy this week's weather and Festival's that will be going on!!! 🎆

06/11/2022

No rest for the wicked...

The swap out of the transformer went great! Plus, installing the fuse for any power surges that may come down the line! The Linemen were great! They were extremely efficient at what they did. We were backup and running by 2130hr (9:30pm)! The entire job and being out of power was a total of thirty minutes!

Thank you, so much to Heartland REMC for the great and promp response to keeping the farm running!!!

06/11/2022

There is definitely NO rest for the wicked!!!

Heard a high pitched wine/animal in distress/noise of some sort? Which was odd for 1900hr (7pm). Followed the noise and low an behold! It was coming from our electrical transformer. NOT GOOD!!!

Called our electric company, Heartland REMC, and described to them what was going on. Nice people! Really understanding! They took our information and description down. Then sent it to the Linemen on duty. About 2000hr (8pm) the dogs start barking and we hear a truck pull up. After a forty minute discussion with him and talking to his supervisor. They will be replacing this transformer!

Apparently, she has some age to her and there is no fuse, to disperse the high voltage coming into the transformer. So, it is a little dated. The Linemen said that will definitely cause an issue if there would be a power surge. So, we get a fuse box too!

Well, at least we heard it and they can do something about it! The swap out will take about forty-five minutes. Then we will have power again.

(Our concern was, if there would be sparks and it catching our barn on fire. That was part of the decision as well to swap out the transformer.)

#power #electricity #transformers #poweroutage #anotherdayonthefarm

06/11/2022

Caught one last photo of the little male Cardinal! Upon further inspection, he appears to be a juvenile male? He seems to have a pure red color but his wings still have some streaks of darkness to them?

Beautiful, just BEAUTIFUL!!!

06/10/2022

06/09/2022

06/08/2022

Today on the farm...

Well, shearing went well. So to speak.

This particular ram named "Chicken Little" is normally a joy to shear! Apparently today was not it. He was not having it! "Chicken Little", did not want to sit still. He kept twisting an turning and flailing and throwing his head around with those magnificent large horns! BUT it was not helping us to shear that beautiful fleece off of him! Yes, these types of incidents happen to the best of shearing people. No matter how fast you try to shear. When the animal does NOT want to cooperate. They don't cooperate and there are times you can not do anything about it.

So, for what was shorn. Was pulled off and put to the side. Made sure "Chicken Little" was okay and let go. There just was no point in forcing it and potentially losing a good ram because of our predation tendencies.

Ram 1, human 0. 🐑

Besides, shearing season is not over with yet. 😉

06/08/2022

Blossom this season with these 13 clever flower hacks! 🌸

This is BRILLIANT!!!

06/08/2022

One down...twenty-one left to go...

He looks so pretty! This beautiful ram was a delight to shear! He is one of our well mannered rams when it comes to shearing! No muss no fuss...

He seems to enjoy the attention at this time of year? This particular brown ram, #27, has the name of "Charlie Brown!" Yes, it has to due with his color and well mannerisms. Happy to work with him!

06/08/2022

Now, time for some shearing...

06/07/2022

Time to clean out the barn and dry-lot of all the maure and wasted hay! We could not ask for a better day to do it iether! Plus, our two little helpers are here for morale support!

06/02/2022

Remember, to
ALWAYS!
ALWAYS!
ASSUME,
THE ELECTRIC FENCE IS ON!!!
(The child will be fine. It happens to the best of us all...) 😉

06/02/2022

No better time then now, to cut and split wood for winter! Yes, wood to burn for this winters heat. The wood should have been made up last year but this is a never ending process. So, we continue when possible. We thank our good friends that keep an eye out for when trees are being cut down. This is Black Locust and soft Maple.

05/28/2022

05/28/2022

Why Only 1% Of Japan's Soy Sauce Is Made This Way

Something different...

Have you ever wondered how soy sauce is made and where it all started? This lovely presentation answers those questions! Did you also know, that the original soy sauce is made by hand and can take more than three months to process! The reason is not just the fermentation but the process is all done by hand!

Follow this beautiful narrative for more!

Enjoy!!!

05/27/2022

Only A Few Families Know The Secret To Making This Perfect Mirror

Something different...

A trade that can only be passed down by apprenticeship and family but a trade that is deffiently dying! The making of mirrors with metal and not glass! This is a very unique method indeed. It seems that only one village in India makes these beautiful mirrors? Any others would be counterfeit.

Enjoy!!!

05/26/2022

What a beautiful day to enjoy the soothing rains and cool weather! This would be a great day to accomplish tasks, that need to be done, in the 'Ole Farmhouse. We opened what windows we could, to let the cool breeze in. (The windows on the east side specifically!) Started a small fire in the firebox. This will help with the moisture in the basement and upstairs. Then started by cleaning the kitchen and will work our way around the 'Ole Farmhouse. Later this evening, rain or not, chores will have to be done.

Ahh...life on the farm... 🌦 🐿

05/24/2022

05/24/2022

05/24/2022

05/24/2022

05/20/2022

05/20/2022

Swarm #3 for the day! All within the hour!!! 🐝🐝🐝

05/20/2022

05/20/2022

05/20/2022

05/20/2022

05/17/2022

05/15/2022

There is a storm a brewing west of the farm!

The daytime heat has subsided with a very nice cool breeze from the west! It would be nice to just sit out here and enjoy it?!?! But chores need to be done before everyone gets wet!

Enjoy the evening weather!

05/14/2022

Phew...😓

What a sweltering day so far! 84 degrees Fahrenheit BUT with the heat index being at 94!

How is this possible?

We were just in the 70's and low 80's the past few weeks! Then, BOOM! It is high 80's with a huge humidity level/heat index!

Mother Nature must be having a hot flash? 🤷‍♀️

05/14/2022

We would like to give a BIG shout out, to one of our supporters and advocates of the farm and all that we do with the business! Jim P Firestone has given us lots of suggestions, when we have gotten stumped on a project! He has donated to the farm with much needed supplies and how to retro fit the items for the multiple little jobs. He is a library of resources for ideas, contacts and loves to figure out puzzles. He has a green thumb when our thumb started to turn a little wilted! 🌱 Plus, has suggested, if we needed a great example for some of the Heritage plants to stop by the Old Fort in Fort Wayne. The gardener there will help! (Mind you, this man is also a volunteer at the same Fort!)

THANK YOU Jim for all of this! This has meant so much here on the farm! We will get to planting these wonderful seeds and share some of the seeds with others! Thank you! 🌾 🕊

Donated seeds:
Broom Corn
Paw Paw
Red Broom Corn
Red Holly Hock
Sage Broad Leaf
Tulip Tree

05/11/2022

Floral hammer art

This is so cool! This would be fun to do with the entire family and on a rainy day! ☘

Thank you, Mark Wood for sharing! 🌺

05/11/2022

Turned out to be a HOT day on the farm! Hope everyone stayed cool and hydrated!??!?

05/10/2022

Today on the farm.

Since, the weather was going to be another sunny day, with mild temperatures in the low 80's. We drug out the bee suit, gloves, veil, and hive tool to start diving inside the bee hives! AND Thank Goodness We Did! The girls are really packing the spring nector and pollen in! 🌻

The first hive we checked, we did our first split of the season on. It went from being one to two! Why, did we do this? As we were pulling the frames out. We started counting all the queen cells that have been built and are in the process of being built! When you count over 15 in one hive. The hive is wall to wall honeybees. You kinda take notice. 🐜

With this happening of so many bees and queen cells. We hauled over extra hive equipment and started to set that up. Then, pulled out three-quarters of the queen cells with other brood in the frames to make a new hive! What we did is, made another hive of our own, before the girls decide they needed to swarm.

So, now we wait for a new queen to be born and start laying! 🐝