Homesteader Life

Good Eats

Scott Terry — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:27:08 +0000

Last night we had such a fine meal, I thought I’d share it with you. Nothing fancy, didn’t even have meat. It was just good summer food and all of it was pick moments before it was consumed. We had summer squash and zucchini fried in butter in a big cast iron frypan. We had a big batch of broccoli side shoots and sugar snap peas cooked to perfection and drowned in a liberal dose of butter and sprinkled with sea salt. We had fresh dug beets, the finest tasting beets we’ve ever grown on the hill (its the kelp I believe). And to top it off we had the first cukes and first ripe tomatoes sliced and soaked in apple cider vinegar, water, and sugar with some fresh chopped Italian parsly. Moments like like that meal make you forget that your even poor. Good food is one of the great blessings of agrarian life. Not the greatest blessing though, that would be growing that food with your wife and children. Work that has purpose and work done together for the glory of God.

Porky the Pig

Scott Terry — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:09:41 +0000

This year I’ve really been lamenting over the fact that we didn’t have a hog around. Hogs are one of the most important animals to have on a real homestead. They turn waste milk, table scraps, and garden scraps into fine tasting meat. Every time I saw waste I would say, “We really need a pig!” Well, the neighbor had another batch of piglets ready to go for $50 a piglet. Not wanting to miss out, the boys and I grabbed some corner posts and threw up a 2 strand electric pig fence and hooked up a charger. The whole family jumped in the minivan with a little dog carrier and $50 with hopes of finding a plump little piglet. I picked out a real nice one and stuffed it in the dog box and paid my money. We got home and turned him out into his nice little paddock. Porky looked around, ate some clover and then shot through the fence like a rocket ship. For the next 2 hours we worked at catching that little $50 dollar bill with 4 legs and a snout. We crossed cow pastures, went through brambles and golden rod, he covered some ground that night! Leah and I finally got him down in some tall golden rod and bed straw. He ducked down in there thinking I couldn’t see him, so I crawled on my belly and got within arms reach of his leg and snatched that little piggy right out of his hiding spot. He went back in the dog crate and we all went work building a better pig pen. My brother in law called on the phone and wondered what we were doing. I said, “The whole family is panting and sweating and sitting on a log right here in the yard among the orchard grass heads. We’re all staring at a pig in a crate and wondering whether or not to have a one really good dinner tonight or try build a new fence” Well, we threw up some woven wire and wrapped that with chicken wire and then added a third strand of electric wire. Then I went to the cow pasture and swapped fencers so I had the “BullDozer….Weed Burner” model that can knock a grown cow to her knees. I put in an extra ground stake and she lit up 4 lights on the tester! We turned Porky back out and he soon learned to stay away from the fence! He now is enjoying his new home eating all the things that would have been wasted. I can’t wait till butcher time.

Whats New on the Hill

Scott Terry — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:11:42 +0000

We’ve been pretty busy of late and everytime I was going to take the time to post something here the wireless connection would be giving me fits. But its working today, so I thought I’d drop in and write something. We have been making hay whenever the equipment is working, which is not as often as we’d like. Haybine is down again, this time a $140 part that won’t be here till the middle of the week. Pastures are holding up pretty good. Peas are ready and the garden is always needing to be tended to. The deer are raising cain with my beans. They only took a liking to them after they ate countless pounds of lettuce. It will all even up this fall when we put a couple of them end up in the freezer. Blackcaps are ready and we’ve been putting up jam. I love blackcaps, I’ve written of my love for blackcap season many times on this blog. Pretty good crop of them this year, free for the picking. Of course my arms are sliced up from the thorns. Blackcap picking is always a good reminder of the consequences of our first parents sin. Thorns with fruit, dominion is hard work. That reminds me of something. The other day I heard a fundamentalist baptist explaining to a kid that work was part of the curse for Adams sin. Nonsense! HARD work with thorns and sweat was the curse. Adam was made to work, we are made to work. Thats part of being made in God’s image for crying out loud. Its no wonder there is no “protestant work ethic” any more with this kind of nonsense being taught. Anyway, didn’t mean to get off on that. Picked a few beets today and by the looks of the beans we’ll be doing green beans pretty soon. When the blackberries are ready I’m going to try making some blackberry wine. I’m thinking about tweeking the Up North Whiskey recipe and adding a few pounds of blackberries to the pot. I really think that would be good, a blackberry wheat wine. Jeepers, I’m making myself thirsty now. On another note, I thought this post at Iron Ink make a good point, one that I’ve tried to make in the past, Limited Atonement — An Inescapable Category makes case that everyone believes in a “limited Attonement” its really about who dose the limiting.

The Current Crisis and The Coming Opportunity

Scott Terry — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:10:48 +0000

There is no denying the fact that the church in America has reached a low point. Our nation, settled by and built by Christians in 1600’s, has lost faith in the Triune God and we are reaping the wirlwind we deserve. Culture is religion externalized, the polytheistic idolatrous culture that we now have is only the fruit of our national religion exposed for all to see. God will not be mocked, he has given us what we deserve and turned us over to the wicked rulers that in our hearts we lusted after. What hope should Christians in 2008 have for the future? Should we try to rebuild the nation on Christian principles? Won’t we all be raptured up soon anyway?

First, the premillennial rapture teachings are a product of the apostate church. It is nonsense, plain and simple. The bible teaches no such thing but rather teaches that the Great Commission will be a success, that the knowlege of the Lord will cover the world as the waters cover the sea. It teaches that his kingdom is here now and that the gates of hell will not stand against the advancing army of God. Might sound crazy, but this is what Christians for the most part have always believed until the rise of dispensationalism in the 1800s. The bible dose not just give us hope in heaven but also hope on the earth. The bible tells us of such times when His people have turned away from Him and He always saves a remnant that is strengthened by correction and advances the faith. He calls us to repent and ask for forgiveness, then He says he will heal our land. Nothing short of real honest National Repentance can save America.

In preparation for the coming homeschool year, I’ve been working on the church history lessons for the kids. Reading and freshing up on our families over 2000 year history. The history of our brothers and sisters. The study of church history has been neglected by most American Christians. The current dominant theology has no use for history, they are nonhistorical. I can understand it, if I stood on the outside of Historic Christianity I would not find much value in it either. While again reading the stories of Polycarp, Athanasius, King Alfred, John Wyclif, John Huss, Luther, Calvin and Knox; I am reminded of this truth. Whenever the Church of Christ has fell into apostasy it has been followed by great reformation! God allows things to get just so bad and then His faithful saints make the stand on His truth and advance the cause of Christ. Brothers and sisters we are again at such a time in the Churches history. We are ripe for reformation. Our nation is ripe for repentance or destruction. Our duty is to do what is right and stand in our faith in Christ obeying His Word no matter the appearant consequences. We may not see the fruit of our labors, it may well not be seen for many generations. Many years from now students of church history will look back at our generation. Will they be inspired to make a stand for the Gospel, or will they be ashamed at our lack of faithful obedience?

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Robert E Lee…

The march of Providence is so slow, and our desires so impatient; the work of progress is so immense and our means of aiding it so feeble; the life of humanity is so long, that of the individual so brief, that we often see only the ebb of the advancing wave and are thus discouraged. It is history that teaches us to hope.

Camping Trip

Scott Terry — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:10:40 +0000

Thursday evening after milking the older boys and I took off for the first camping trip of the summer. We needed some good old “camp fire therapy”. It was fun, we got camp built pretty quick and gathered a good supply of fire wood. We ate, target shot, sang a few psalms and read an old Rocky Mt trapper’s journal by the fire before bed. I explained to the boys that what they were learning was something no one could ever take away from them. They can take your money, your house, your car, but they can’t ever take away what you learn. Every man ought to know how to live in the wild. My boys know how.

We could travel half way by golf cart, across pasture land. The rest of the way on foot.

Supper was cook your own with a stick.

If ya’ll come a calling, be sure to yell “Hello to camp” before getting too close.

Sovereignty

Scott Terry — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:27:23 +0000

The following quotes are from A.W. Pink on the Sovereignty of God.

The Sovereignty of God. What do we mean by this expression? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the god-hood of God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay His hand or say unto Him what doest Thou? (Dan. 4:35). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psa. 115:3). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is “The Governor among the nations” (Psa. 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleaseth Him best. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the “Only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Tim. 6:15). Such is the God of the Bible.

The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. His government is exercised over inanimate matter, over the brute beasts, over the children of men, over angels good and evil, and over Satan himself. No revolving world, no shining of star, no storm, no creature moves, no actions of men, no errands of angels, no deeds of Devil-nothing in all the vast universe can come to pass otherwise than God has eternally purposed. Here is a foundation of faith. Here is a resting place for the intellect. Here is an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. It is not blind fate, unbridled evil, man or Devil, but the Lord Almighty who is ruling the world, ruling it according to His own good pleasure and for His own eternal glory.

My question is this, how many churches in America still believe in this God? Sadly we live in an age where the God of the bible is largely forgotten. Sure people give lip service to the “sovereign god” while denying the very things that make Him sovereign to begin with. American evangelicalism is nothing but a cheap imitation of Historic Biblical Christianity. The sooner people realize it the better.

Education

Scott Terry — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:37:51 +0000

Pastor Bret, over at Iron Ink, has been turning out some great posts. I highly recommend these articles on education. Read them in order.

Dipped, Rolled, & Deep Fried

Do Alternate School Settings Fix All That Is Broken?

A Response to a Response on Alternative Settings

Two Proud Country Boys

Scott Terry — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:13:24 +0000

John and Noah decided to try trapping cottontails with a little live trap. They drug the trap away and came back and asked me for some bait. I gave them an apple and they disappeared again. They would disappear every morning to check the trap always disappointed, until one morning I could hear Johnny yelling YEEEEHAWWWWW! It weren’t a rabbit, but they were pretty happy to have caught something. That old possom was battle scared and mean. He must have been a real scrapper in his younger years.

Psalm Tunes

Scott Terry — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:12:43 +0000

I while back I wrote about Psalm singing and some of you bought a copy of The Book of Psalms for Singing from Crown and Covenant. If you happen to be like me, and music notes are as readable as Latin this might be of some help. The RP church has put up a site with all the tunes to all the Psalms that you can listen to on little mp3 clips. The site is Psalter.org

Greed and Gas

Scott Terry — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:11:52 +0000

Broome county NY, the peaceful hill country that I call home, is becoming very popular as of late. The big natural gas companies are swarming in offering riches beyond your wildest dreams and a poor rural population is giddy with joy. Seems we all sit on a big shale formation that has lots of gas under it. The problem historically has been that the pockets of gas are small, but there are a lot of them. Now that “horizontal drilling” is possible because of the spike in gas costs, there is a mad rush to buy all the gas rights in the area. Leases have gone from the old $5 an acre to whopping $2000 an acre or more! Add the 15% royalties being offered and its a get rich quick scheme of epic proportions. The problem is this, horizontal drilling is a terrible thing and most of the people who signed up have no idea what they have done. Each well uses 1 million gallons of water that they pump into the well to force cracks. They suck it out of streams and rivers sucking some dry. Then they pump it out, polluted with salt, solvents, and get this……radio active ore! Seems we also sit on top a huge radioactive ore formation, the stuff that makes radon gas. This type of drilling ruins peoples wells, changes the water table and a host of other things. Oh, but the money. Forget you will ruin the lives of your children and destroy our beautiful hills, all to feed the wicked pagan economic system that wants your soul. Mammon, thats America’s god, and Americans serve that idol god with all their hearts.