Early Morning Surprise

The other morning I woke up and stumbled down the stairs. I stood rubbing my eyes and gazing out of a large picture window looking out over our pasture lands. The morning mist still hung heavy in the little hollows giving the whole scene a cloaked appearance. As my eyes began to adjust to the growing light I though I saw a small long legged creature out in the field. Thinking my sleepy eyes were fooling me, I rubbed them again and strained to catch another glimpse of the creature I though I had seen.




Just then the, fog lifted, and to my surprise I saw a brand new baby foal standing there. His little nostrils flared as he took in breaths of the fresh morning air. An admiring mother stood by busily nuzzling him with her soft furry nose. The whole scene was breath taking and caused me to rejoice in God’s marvelous creation and the wonder of new life.

A Curse or Blessing?

If you have lived in western Washington for any amount of time you will probably be quite familiar with blackberry vines. These persistent plants have been known to sprout just about anywhere and thrive in the most inconvenient places. Before you know it, a small blackberry vine can explode into a great thorny bush and be the cause for great sweat—and sometimes even bloodshed—trying to remove it. If this were the whole story about blackberry vines, I think that they most certainly would be voted as Washington’s most disliked plant

But, before you get too upset about this seemingly noxious weed, you must taste a handful of large, sweet, juicy, blackberries.


Although blackberries can be quite problematic when growing in the wrong place, we thoroughly enjoy the blackberries we have on the farm because they are growing in a great place.


Along the fence bordering our property, great mounds of blackberries grow and each year right about this time yield a bountiful reward of huge, sweet blackberries. Thanks to the horses and cows, these mounds of blackberries are kept trimmed back so that we can actually reach the black bounty without falling prey to the thorns. After several hours of picking, we will come back with enough blackberries to freeze for the winter, as well as to make into an after dinner pie.

Fleeced!

Have you ever completed a business transaction and found that you had been fleeced? Well, if you have, you can identify with some rather trim looking sheep running around on our farm. Knowing that summer heat was upon us and that we had a flock of very warm sheep who spent their afternoons panting in the shade, I realized that it was time to get out the sheep shears and go to town. So last week my brother Stephen and I rounded up all the sheep into one of our barns and began to catch them one by one and remove their fleeces. You may be thinking, “Oh, how wonderful! Now the sheep will be cool.” But in reality the sheep were thinking “Oh, no! He’s coming to get me with those big shears. I might die!”

Each greatly reluctant sheep was pushed and coaxed onto the shearing mat for their personal five minute dance with the shearer. For both sheep and shearer, this dance is not at all romantic or enjoyable, but rather is a five minute struggle between the shearer trying to remove the fleece and the sheep trying to get free. The shearer is forced to pose in a permanent bowing position while he constrains the sheep in a sitting position. Once both partners are in place, the shears are turned on. And starting at the head, one swipe at a time, the fleece is carefully snipped away. Once this perfectly choreographed act of kicking, grasping, and clipping is finished, the sheep is let loose to go bleating back to the flock. And the shearer slowly, and with an occasional painful groan, stretches back to an erect position.

Getting fleeced is always an unpleasant situation, but if you were to ask one of our sheep I think he would rather lose a few dollars on eBay then go through another shearing!

A Summer Swim

After working for hours in the warm sun and wiping sweat from your brow, nothing sounds better than a cool dip in the river. For a half a mile the Wynoochee River runs along our property, sparkling and glittering on its way as if to entrance the hard working farm boy and beckon him to its cool comforts. After plunging into the cool water it is hard to even remember how hot you had just been.

But plunging in is just a taste of the fun that can be had. If you inhale a great lungful of air, you can dive down to the bottom of the swimming hole and sink your hands in the sandy floor. Or you can explore the sandstone sides and find the nooks and crannies where trout and salmon are hiding. For the more adventurous, there are cliffs from which you can jump and go sailing through the air landing with a great splash. Although those activities are wonderful, the thing that tops them all is swinging from the rope swing hung in a great leafy tree over hanging the river. From there you can glide through the air and land right in the center of the deep hole. If you are good you can dive off the rope... but if not, you can belly flop!

Swimming is fun- in fact, so much fun that at times a “quick dip” becomes quite long. Because, you see, you cannot swim with most watches, and the sun is generally covered with trees so it makes it very hard to keep track of time. Or, at least, that is the way the excuse often goes for the young swimmer who has tarried long in the swimming hole. Summer would not be complete without swimming- nor would farm boys and girls.

Farm Photography

Have you enjoyed the photography on our blog? Well, the pictures that have been presented here have been taken by our farm photographer who happens to double as my little brother. Over the past two weeks he has been increasing his skills by taking part in a photography course. So just for fun, I thought that we might throw in a few of his shots from around our farm and the near by countryside.

Through photography it is our goal to depict the beauty of God’s glorious creation. When a picture is properly framed, lighted, and composed it can help us see the beauty in even the seemingly mundane things around us. The truth is that we become so accustomed to the creation we live in that we forget to step back and realize the marvelous intricacy and design of things such as a blade of grass or a water droplet. So as you view these pictures we hope that they will help you to step back and reflect. Be sure to let us know what you think!

Companionship and Comfort

Sheep are interesting animals and are quite different than cows or horses. Although they possess some very obvious distinctions like sporting furry fleece coats and saying “baaa” instead of “neigh” or “moo”, they also have some very unique attributes like their desire for companionship and comfort.

Sheep are very social creatures. They are rarely ever seen by themselves. They always desire to be with their companions whether they are munching grass, frolicking in the sun, or exploring the farthest boarder of their pasture. In shepherd’s vernacular this natural tendency is called their “heard instinct.” Because most of our grass is taller than the sheep’s heads, if they get too busy eating and forget to pay attention, they can get separated from the rest of the flock. When they realize that none of their companions are to be seen they will set to bawling and running until they find the rest of the pack.

Hand in hand with this desire for companionship is their desire for comfort and protection. Because sheep are smaller then cows or horses they are more susceptible to the dangers of prowling nocturnal predators. If left to follow their own instinct, when it becomes evening sheep will gather together as a flock and all lay down in a close area. In this way they look like a bigger mass and do not appear to be an easy dinner catch. Here at Bradrick Family Farms we try to accommodate this need for protection by every night bringing our sheep into a warm barn where there is no fear of danger. Being creatures of habit, our sheep have grown accustomed to their lodging accommodations. Last night I went out just before dark to put them in, and they were all standing at the gate with a look of anticipation on their faces — waiting for me to open the barn door and let them in.

Curious Cows

The other day my brother Stephen and I drove our Ford Ranger pickup out into the field where our cows were residing. Now to a cow, you must imagine how odd a bright gold colored mass of moving metal must look. Well first, all the cows stopped munching grass and decided to race us. As we drove along, they went running beside us showing off their agility by kicking their heels and shaking their heads.

Once we came to a stop, they formed a large circle around us and began inching closer and closer trying to figure out what this gold beast was. Their courage got stronger as, shoulder to shoulder, they inched closer. Soon they were standing just feet away, stretching their necks and sniffing the truck all over.

Meanwhile, Stephen and I were sitting in the truck enjoying their humorous behavior and their attitudes of sheer curiosity. Now it was all fun and games, until one rather bold cow decided to try and bite the truck’s mirror off. At that moment, I came to action. I quickly opened my door and stepped out. All at once, the whole herd took one good jump backwards and then stood there looking in disbelief. It was almost as though they thought I was from Mars and had just stepped out of my space ship!

Not long after that, when we had finished the errand that had taken us to that part of the pasture, we were off again. As we drove back to the gate, we were still followed by those curious cows. They stood watching in rapt amazement as we shut the gate behind us and drove off into the distance.

Now, I’ve heard that “curiosity killed the cat . . . We’ll just hope it doesn’t the kill cows!

A Cowboy

Most people across our land have a highly romantic or rosy conception of what it is to be a cowboy. For centuries, western films have depicted the cowboy as a rough and tumble character that spends his days on a horse, working cows, and riding the range. Now that is an accurate description of part of a cowboy’s life, but it is not the whole story. The part that is so often missing is the hours of cleaning out manure from barn stalls, building and repairing fences, putting up hay, and caring for sick animals — just to mention a small portion of the tasks that make up a cowboy’s entire job.


But, it is not too surprising that many people would have a misconception about a cowboy’s life, because every cowboy likes to show the very best of what he does. It is not too exciting to show someone how to clean a stall or mend a fence, but it is quite another thing to show off your horse and display its ability to rear, run, and round up cows!

Moods of Spring

There is a certain mood that comes with spring. It is an infectious mood that seems to grip man and beast. Deep down inside there is a growing excitement that explodes on the first warm day. This feeling universally grips both farm and farm life, but each different man and animal expresses this uncontrollable feeling in a different way. Take for example a cow. For the most part cows are quite down-to-earth creatures, but a cow that is gripped with spring infection will run and frisk and kick up its heels.

Sheep will also do strange things when they are feeling the energy of spring. Their mood will change from being peaceful and curious to frantic and frenzied. All at once they will leap with all four legs off the ground and then run in circles, butt heads, and wag tails. A sheep gripped with this infectious mood will make the most formidable stoic burst out laughing.


Now this mood takes a slightly different grip on the farmer. He will not be seen frisking or butting heads. He becomes very allergic to the indoors and the only cure is to get him outside. Some times this mood is so intense that it will cause him to shout aloud and then listen to his voice echoing on the hills beyond. But probably the most noticeable affect that this spring mood has is that he whistles most all the day.


Every year I see the effects of this mood. It is something hard to explain; but if I had to sum it up in one brief description, I would call it “Spring Fever.”

Lick’um Stick’um and Stamp’um

One of the projects we face every spring is publishing and sending out our farm news letter and order form. This takes a lot of time, so we must set up an assembly line in order to get the letters out the door on time. So why don’t I show you a little peek behind the scenes.

First, we must print the letters.

Next we fold them. And stuff them in the envelopes.



Then comes the Lick’um…


Stick’um…


and Stamp’um.


Then we put them in the mail, and send them to you.

Photographs taken by Stephen Bradrick

Wintry Whiteness

After days and days of endless rain in the month of November, wintry weather welcomed in the month of December. Soggy leaves began to stiffen as the temperatures dropped. The sound of there grass under each step changed from a squish to a crunch. Then one, then two, then twenty, then two hundred snow flakes began floating out of the sky. For hours the sky was blurred by a thick fall of large soft snowflakes. Trees and shrubs, houses and barns, fields and fences were soon covered with a thick, white blanket of snow.

Then all at once the sky stopped yielding it frozen flakes and a quiet stillness fell upon the whole valley. It was so white it dazzled your eyes and so quiet you could have heard a pin drop that is if it had not fallen into the soft snow with out the smallest sound.

There are two times of day when God most reveals His beauty to us, His creatures . . .

At Sunrise...

...and At Sunset

The sun peeps over the hilltops and sheds its warm rays into the sleeping valley below. As it warms and wakes the world below things begin to change–the birds burst into song, the wooly blanket of fog raises to its heavenly heights, and the dew begins to sparkle and makes the world look like it is decked and adorned with diamonds

So too, when just before the day is done and the sun is shedding its last rays over the hill tops and the birds begin to sing their good night lullabies and the blanket of fog tucks the world into bed, there is a time that we ‘round here call “the golden hour.” This happens when the sun is low, and just before it sinks to rest every thing looks golden.

So now that the day is done
and every eye and mortal tongue
sleep peacefully in their beds,
The question still remains
did we do vain and earthly things
or did we strive to praise Christ’s name
in everything we did?

By Stephen Bradrick

Photographs taken by Stephen Bradrick

Frost

Photographs taken by Stephen Bradrick

The Last Rays of Summer

As I looked at this picture I realized that in many ways it sums up the month of October. Here, through the window, the last soft rays of evening light pour in and spill over the rack of warm coats. It seems almost as though the sun wished to point them out and warn us of the cold night to come before it slipped over the hills leaving us amid cooling shadows. During the month of October, we enjoy our last days of warm weather and also enjoy our many nights of wintery chills. And once again the wood cook stove is stoked, giving forth its radiant warmth.




This month has been one of big change at Bradrick Family Farms. We successfully completed another year of farming and now our little spread is settled down for the winter months. If you have read my profile you will know that I am currently working on my B. A. in business and public policy. As a part of my studies, the Lord opened up the opportunity for me to take part in a business internship for the next two semesters of school. As of October second, I have been working in Dallas, Texas as an Executive Assistant to the C.E.O. of RealManage.

RealManage is a Home Owners Association management company. It is a young, fast-growing company with six branches stretching from California to Florida. This opportunity will give me the ability to work side by side with a seasoned business man, gleaning and learning from him every step of the way. I am specifically assisting him with the company's sales and marketing process, doing the back end management of all the branch sales data as well as working on opening new markets and executing marketing campaigns. So for the next six months I will not be living in a cozy little farm house, riding the range on my cow pony, or getting my hands durty doing farm work, but rather I will be living in an apartment, navigating Dallas traffic, and stuffing my brain full of business knowledge for implementing in the management of Bradrick Family Farms.

Since I will not be on the farm to keep you posted on farm happenings, my brother Stephen will be using his skills in photography to help you stay in touch with daily farm life. I hope that you have wonderful winter feasting on Bradrick Family Farms meat, and I look forward to picking back up as lead farm journalist when I come back in the spring.

Until then, your friend,
Phillip Bradrick

CAUTION: Slug Crossing

One of the largest specimens of wildlife that roam the range at Bradrick Family Farms was spotted today crossing the driveway. After holding up farm trafic for the better part of an hour, this slimy creature slugged its way to safety on the far side of the road.

Wood Cutting

Every year, as the summer draws to an end, and as days grow shorter, and nights grow colder we take to the woods to spend the day storing up wood for the winter. Now if you are one of the many people who heat their houses with gas or electric heat you truly miss out on one of the most satisfying days of the year. That is, wood cutting day. Well let me fill you in on today, our first wood cutting day of the season.


After a good nights rest and a morning of chores and preparing equipent for the day's labors, we headed out to the woods pulling our sixteen foot stock trailer. In it we had all the necessary tools for the task: chainsaw, axes, splitting malls, gloves, ect. For the next twenty minutes we wound up our valley and off onto logging roads to a remote place where cull logs had been left from a recent logging opperation. Daddy fired up the chainsaw and began cutting off rounds of wood.

The race was on: man and machine against malls and muscles. We were feeling our oats but we knew the name of the game was endurance.

As round after round was cut, Stephen and I began hauling them to the trailer and splitting for all we were worth. First it was one log, then two, then ten. The trailer began to fill with split pieces.

After we had exausted one area of accessible wood we moved to another. Although our backs began to ache and sweat covered our foreheads the satisfying feeling of a large log cracking and splintering under a powerful well placed blow was enough to keep us going.

When ever we paused for a moment to catch our breaths we could hear the drone of the chainsaw, and knowing that every second we paused caused us to fall behind, we again pushed on.

Although it felt like days, after four hours of intense labor, our trailer was filled to the gills with aproximately three cords of wood. (Which being translated means a whole lot.) As we straightened up after throwing the last log in, we could not help but smile at the amount of work our three man opperation had just accomplished and the months of warmth we had just stored up for the winter to come.

Rain

After weeks of warm, sunny, dry weather the grass at Bradrick Family Farms began to slow in growth and its vibrant green color began to fade to weaker shades and seem to cry out to heaven for rain. When the grass runs low we have to suppliment our cows and sheep with grass hay or alfalfa and this creates more work and expenses for us. So we too looked up to the God of heaven from whom all good things come and prayed for rain. In His perfect time He opened the flood gates of heaven and poured down on both farm and farmer pure, cool, refreshing rain. And then, with Job of old, we marveled at God's wonderful provision.

"But as for me, I would seek God,

And I would place my cause before God;

Who does great and unsearchable things,

Wonders without number.

He gives rain on the earth

And sends water on the earth. "

Job 5:8-10

Heavenly Highlights

As a farmer, one of my most faithful companions and co-laborers shines down from the heavens above. To us, the sun is an absolutely essential part of our farming endeavors. That sphere, guided by the Omnipotent Hand, faithfully morning after morning rises to greet us, shine light on our way, and provide the solar heat necessary to make our vegetative valley brilliantly flourish. Without it we could not grow grass, which means we could not provide you with quality “grass-fed” meat.

Although the sun runs its course from east to west day after day, it continually finds new ways to express its brilliance and declare the glory of its Maker. Here on the farm, we particularly enjoy watching the sun at sunrise and sunset. Often the sun rises, veiled in misty dreaminess, and shines its shafts of light into our fog-laden valley as if groping to pull this vapory blanket from the sleepy lowlands.


And then, when work is over and the day comes to a close, the sun frequently bids us farewell with a dazzling show of color. Now you have to understand that being a tough cowboy I am generally not too excited about pinks and purples. But when they are projected onto an endless screen and given character by puffy clouds on which the sun’s last gleams dance and play, the scene is absolutely breathtaking. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy some of them with me.

Back In the Saddle

After a wonderful two week vacation and trip back to the east for my brothers wedding it feels good to be, once again, back in the saddle. I reached home one week before the rest of my family in order to keep things going on the farm. In hopes of breaking up my loneliness as the sole cow poke on the ranch, our dear friends the Bittners stopped by and spent most of the day playing with horses and picking black berries. As you can see I was not the only one in the saddle that day.

Stephen Bittner (age 15) stayed for two whole additional days to help me finish a suprise project for my sisters and mother. For several years they have been hoping that I would build them some rose arbors for their climbing roses in our berry garden. Well, with the right materials and some hard labor some respectable arbors arose. I was very thankful for Stephen's great assistance because positioning these large arbores into place was definitely a two man project.
P. S. Don't spill the beans. They get back late tonight and won't see them untill tomorow morning.

A Last Farewell


This is our last night at the Bradrick Family Farm. Phillip arrives tomorrow to take over the reigns and begin the process of hopping back into the saddle again. I can’t believe how fast the time has gone but what a time we have had! From escaping sheep to fishing the Wynoochee River to sightseeing Aberdeen via an ambulance (my own personal tour) to harvesting a bounty of wonderfully fresh organic vegetables to bike riding at Ocean Shores and so much more! You know I realize that as fast as I tend to talk I could never fill enough pages to describe our wonderful, amazing, and enjoyable time at the farm. There are just too many terrific memories but I will highlight a few more for all those inquiring minds out there.

This last week we had one of the cows make a secret escape to the neighbor’s field directly behind the farm. Amazingly enough cattle can jump, not very well mind you and kind of in the same vein as a chicken that tries to fly, but they can jump or at least this one did. Somehow this crafty cow climbed and circumnavigated not one fence but two. Well, if these guys are going to be that smart what chance can old cowpokes like us have? So somewhere tonight there is one cow boasting of his “Great Escape” among the neighbor’s cattle. Who knows, maybe the sheep are supplying the cattle with wire cutters? Either way, I’m beginning to think the phrase “the grass is greener on the other side” is actually code for, “Break out tonight at 10:00 pm…meet at the red barn…pass the word!”

A few days later we took the kids to downtown Montesano to see the Grays Harbor Courthouse. It is a wonderful old building with a dome similar to the one at our state capitol in Olympia. The inside is filled with these huge paintings or murals depicting the founding of Grays Harbor and even Biblical scenes. As we were acting like typical tourists and clicking away our cameras, an attorney leaving the building decided to play tour guide and show us where a deputy tried to stop a fleeing inmate with a shot from his gun and instead shot the door. This kind man was so sweet and so funny because you would have thought he was describing the shootout at the O.K. Corral. In fact, when that story ended he went to the hair raising escape of another inmate (I’m beginning to see a pattern here) who jumped from the 3rd floor of the courthouse. Even though he broke both ankles he still tried to hobble away before the police finally caught him. By now I’m thinking if we just hang out a little longer we might be able to catch some real action shots on film or at least see Wyatt Earp. I think this town should put up a new welcome sign with a catchy town slogan like, “Montesano - Home of the most attempted escapes made by man and beast alike!”

How can anyone not spend two weeks at the Bradrick Homestead and not have a great time. Thank you Bradricks for giving us such great memories and if you ever need farm sitters again, all I can say is, “Sign us up!” Thank you for giving me the opportunity to have so much fun blogging on your site Phillip! It has been a wonderful experience. One only has to spend a few minutes here to see why you love it so much and what a blessing from the Lord you and your family are to so many people. Welcome home!

May all your trails be happy ones,
Mrs. B and her posse