Country Life Archives | Tom & Vanessa's Country

Goodbye Giz

We said goodbye to our beloved Gizmo today.

This morning, we all took turns holding him and thanking him for being such a good boy; he brought us all so much joy.

Then we went to the vet and had him put to sleep. We were all in the room with him (except for our little buddy) and he passed peacefully.

They placed him in a dog casket we brought along, as we plan to bury Gizmo on our land when the ground thaws.

Then he rode home with us in the backseat. For now, he’s in our garage freezer. Which, I do not like the thought of, so I try not to think about it.

After bringing Gizmo home, we went out for a late breakfast.

On the way to the restaurant we found a lost dog on the side of the road. Her name was Snickers.

She hopped right in the truck and sat on my seat and licked my face. She must have sensed we all needed a little cheering up.

“A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal.” ~ Proverbs 12:10

Our Dogsledding Adventure

Country Life

For Christmas, Tom’s mom and dad gave our little buddy a gift certificate for a dogsledding adventure.

We picked him up from school on Friday and headed north about four hours to Ely, MN.

It was -33 degrees F on Friday and that’s not taking into account the windchill. Brrrr. Thankfully it warmed up to -2 degrees F before we embarked on our adventure Saturday morning.

Upon arriving at Chilly Dogs, lead musher and guide Jake greeted us as we drove in. He directed us on where to park and then led us inside the lodge.

First things first, we learned “how to dress warm” for the ride.

People get cold, not because of the temperature outside, but because of insufficient clothing to keep them warm.
Donna Hway, Chilly Dogs

Prior to our arrival, I received an email with a list of recommended gear to bring which included an insulated jacket, snow pants, hat, boots, mittens, along with goggles, gator, and hand/toe warmers.

Jake and Donna checked out our gear to make sure it was going to be warm enough and then we suited up and headed outside to meet the dogs.

After meeting the dogs, we learned about the sleds and how they work and then all chaos ensued.

Alaskan Huskies love to run and pull. It’s what they are born to do. In fact, they may run further in their lifetime than any other animal on the planet.

As the sleds were lined up and loaded, their excitement was uncontainable.

As soon as all the dogs were on their leads and all the sleds were ready to go, we were off on our adventure through the scenic and beautiful trails of the Superior National Forest.

We covered about 16 miles in two hours, only stopping to switch mushers. Our group had two other couples plus the three of us and two guides. Oh, and 30 Alaskan Huskies.

Tom and Asher shared a sled and I shared a sled with a guide named Brenna. Asher is not quite heavy enough to guide a sled (need to be at least 100 lbs.), so Tom did all of the mushing. However, Brenna and I took turns mushing.

After our ride was finished, we headed into the lodge and warmed up by the fire. We enjoyed hot chocolate and listened to stories about the dogs and other dogsledding adventures.

It was an amazing experience we will all fondly remember. Dare I say, it was un-fur-gettable.

“Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.” ~1 Chronicles 16:33

First Flock of Chickens

Country Life

Our First Flock | tomandvanessascountry.com

As we excitedly prepare for our first flock of chickens, I thought I’d share all that it entails. We’ve watched countless YouTube videos (many of them with Asher) and scoured the internet learning all we can about raising chickens, from breed selection to building our coop and run to everything in between.

We’re fast approaching our third spring and summer of country living. The first two were spent working on landscaping around the house, getting to know our land, cleaning up the down trees in our woods, and attempting to put a dent in eradicating buckthorn (or at least keep it at bay). Not only for the health of our woods but for the health of our wildlife.

From season to season, we’ve seen an increase in the number and variety of birds, as well as deer, turkey, possum, fox, skunk, raccoon, bear, and even a fisher. While our woods are plentiful with wildlife, we’re ready to add some of our own feathered friends to the mix.

Chicken Criteria

Living in western WI, we get a good mix of all four seasons. As I type this, it’s -13 degrees F outside. And it’s not uncommon to have a heat wave in July with temps in the upper 90s. Selecting breeds for our first flock of chickens that are winter/cold hardy was of utmost importance. From there, I narrowed the criteria down to breeds that are excellent egg layers, friendly/pet-like, suitable for beginners, and tend to be less broody.

Broody, Broodiness

In case you’re a chicken novice like us and have no idea what broody means I’m including a definition. That way you’ll know why we want “less broody” birds in our flock. Especially since we do not plan on having a rooster, only hens.

A broody hen is a hen that wants her eggs to hatch. She will sit on her eggs all day long in an attempt to hatch them. The eggs will only be fertile if there’s a rooster in the flock. What makes a hen go broody – it’s a combination of hormones, instinct, and maturity. Some breeds are more or less likely to be broody.

Breeds

After researching the various breeds and seeing what is available in our area (and when), here are the six we selected:

Ameraucana

The Ameraucana is a winter hardy breed. They are generally a friendly and docile bird that enjoys human contact. The Ameraucana sits in the middle of the pecking order and is predator-savvy. Hens weigh around 5.5 lbs and lay up to 250 blue/green eggs per year. Ameraucanas are non-broody (for the most part). They do not have any significant health issues and live about 7-8 years.

Olive Egger

The Olive Egger is a hybrid of two breeds – a blue egg layer and a dark brown egg layer. They are sought after for their vibrant olive-green eggs. Although some lay blue, brown, and even pink eggs. They produce about 150-200 large-sized eggs per year. Olive Eggers are cold hardy as well as heat tolerant and aren’t prone to common chicken health issues. They get a moderate score on the broody scale. The average weight of an Olive Egger hen is between 6-7 pounds. These birds are generally very docile and friendly and get along well with humans and other birds in their flock.

Rhode Island Red

The Rhode Island Red is very good at laying eggs, laying up to 300 medium to large-sized brown eggs per year. They are exuberant, curious, friendly, and lovable. Sitting in the middle of the pecking order, they are social with both people and others in their flock. Rhode Island Reds are not likely to be broody. They get an A+ in the health department, are very hardy (and predator-savvy) by nature, and will take to almost any climate.

Speckled Sussex

The Speckled Sussex are calm, friendly, docile, and love lap time. They are great conversationalists and will follow you around, especially if you have treats. Because they are cold hardy, they lay well year round – up to 25o brown eggs annually. They don’t have any outstanding health issues except perhaps a propensity toward obesity as well as broodiness.

Sapphire Gem

The Sapphire Gem will catch your eye with its lavender and blue feathering. They are excellent egg layers, laying upwards of 290 large to extra-large brown eggs yearly. The Sapphire Gem rarely goes broody. They are middle-of-the-flock in size and can hold their own in a mixed flock. The Sapphire Gem does well in all climates. They are one of the sweetest chicken varieties for kids and love to cuddle.

Silver Laced Polish

The Silver Laced Polish are fun and friendly chickens. Its reputation as a good egg layer is often overlooked because of its unusual appearance. The Silver Laced Polish sports a pom-pom hairdo resembling a bouffant. They lay around 200 white, medium to large-sized eggs per year. And they are rarely broody. The Silver Laced Polish are happy in all climates, although their crests must be kept clean and dry.

(I plan to come back add photos of our beautiful birds once we get them for visual reference as well.)

Our Chicks

We ordered 12 chicks (2 of each variety) from our local feed store. They ranged in price between $4.50-$7.00 per chick, with the Rhode Island Red being the least expensive and the Silver Laced Polish being the most. I have a feeling in addition to being the most expensive, the Silver Laced Polish will be the highest maintenance due to its hairdo. Our first flock of chicks will be ready for pick-up on April 21-22.

Coop & Run

Right now, we’re working on converting one side of one of our outdoor bathroom buildings (perks of buying property that was once owned by the Girl Scouts) into the coop and then building an outdoor run. As much as we would love to let the ladies free range, there are ordinances against it in our township. Our woods are also home to a lot of predators.

The chicks will spend the first several weeks in a brooder in our garage before moving to their coop and run outdoors. We still have a lot of winter left, so we will have to wait until it warms up and the ground thaws a bit before we do any construction on the run.

Food for Thought

Until then, I’ll continue researching how to make homemade chicken feed. I’ve seen one too many articles recently about how commercial feed has changed and is not the best option for healthy hens (or eggs).

Oh, and names. We need to come up with names for our ladies.

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?” ~Job 12:7-9

Merry Christmas

Country Life

Our Christmas Card | tomandvanessascountry.com

We thoroughly enjoyed our first year living in God’s country. Tom and I continue to work our respective online businesses, educating others on health, wellness, and fitness. If we’re not on our laptops, you can find us outside grooming trails, chopping wood, feeding the wildlife, or 4-wheeling. Our little buddy is now 7. There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t feel blessed to be part of his life. He can identify all the birds in the backyard, loves to fish, and spreads joy wherever he goes. This winter, along with his sister and Grandma Vanessa, Asher is learning to downhill ski. We are excited to share we started a new blog (tonandvanessascountry.com). And if you’re ever in our neck of the Wisconsin woods, be sure to stop by.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

Back of our Christmas Card | tomandvanessascountry.com

Front Door Before (& After)

Country Life

Front Door Before | tomandvanessascountry.com

This is what our front door looked like back in the day when the land around our home was a Girl Scout Camp. Our home was called the Barb Munson Program Center. A two level pavilion of sorts that the Girl Scouts used for various functions.

The Girl Scouts decommissioned the camp on October 3, 2010, and eventually sold the land. In 2018, our neighbors who bought and developed the land, got to work on converting the pavilion into a home.

A couple who lives in the area purchased the home upon completion of the renovation. However, they never moved in due to personal reasons and re-listed the home for sale.

When we came along in the fall of 2020, the house had been on the market for a year or so. We stepped through the front door and knew immediately this was our home.

Now, that we’ve lived here for a year, there are two things I would have done differently if I were the one designing the home.

A more utilitarian type sink in the powder bath off the mudroom and kitchen (a project on our infinity list) and a front door with a full panel window.

I spend a lot of time sitting at what we call our game table. While I have a desk in another location, it’s where I prefer to work.

Tom and I also start our day at the table playing cards while enjoying our morning cup of coffee.

From our game table we have a beautiful view of behind our house and into the woods where we watch all the wildlife play.

My chair at the game table is situated to also have a full view of the front door. I realize most people don’t sit and think about their front door all that often. However, I did because of how much time I spent looking at it.

On multiple occasions I envisioned what it would be like if I could see through the door. And how much more light would come in the entry of home with another window.

I did have to convince Tom of my idea. After all, we had a perfectly good and practically brand new front door. I promised we’d use the door when we convert one of our picnic shelters into a tiny cabin.

To make it easy, I decided to replace the door with the exact same door in a full panel window. I love it.

“And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God call the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.” ~ Genesis 1:3-5

Front Door Before After After | tomandvanessascountry.com

Like a Luge

Country Life

This is our second winter living in the country. Last year we did a lot of sledding down the hill alongside our house. However, we have since planted a new tree and we ran into an existing tree quite a few times. So, this year Tom decided to get some straw bales to line the hill. His vision of a straw lined sledding hill changed into “like a luge” as we hauled bale after bale down the hill. It took us a few days and several trips to pick up straw but we finished the luge just in time for our first big snowstorm of the season.

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. ~ Isaiah 55:12