Last Post

I'm sad and glad to say this is my last blog post. I've recently been accepted to continue my 9th grade studies at Minuteman High School. Homeschooling was an eye-openning experience in that I learned more about how my brain works than I ever would have had I stayed at Arlington High. It turns out that homeschooling is just not right for me. I hope to be at Minuteman by the end of march. It seems like the right choice for me because they alternate weeks between classroom settings and working in a shop on a subject you enjoy. I hope to find room in the engineering or welding and metal fabrications shops. This would give me time to do hands on work as well as learn in a classroom setting.

Codman Maple Syrup

At Codman Farm, we've begun collecting sap from trees and putting the sap in the evaporator. An evaporator is like a big stove where the sap can sit and the fire below it boils all the water out of the sap. When there is no more water boiling out of the sap, whats left is called the condensed sap, and that is then boiled on a regular kitchen stove and filtered. What comes out of the filter is the final product of maple syrup. The down side to making maple syrup is that you have to constantly feed the fire and it takes 40 gallons of sap straight out of the tree to make one gallon of maple syrup. Yesterday I took home a small cup of Codman Farms' first pint of maple syrup and it is delightful.

Last Lambs

There were two sheep who had yet to give birth until last week. One mother gave birth to two lambs, both surviving. Unfortunately, the other sheep went into labor but her cervix did not dilate. This forced the farmers to make a quick decision on whether to perform an expensive Caesarean section which wouldn't have been clear if the mother would have survived, or to put the mother down. The decision was to put the mother down because we didn't want to spend money on a procedure that would most likely not work. Last year, the same thing happened to another sheep and they spent the money on a Caesarean section and both mother and lambs died.

Goats Galore

Codman Farm recently had 10 kids/baby goats over the past week. Two of the goats had triplets, and two of the goat had twins. They are very small and very cute. They weigh about a 1 ½ pounds, and are the size of a full grown Chiwawa. I got to name one of the male kids so I named it Homer. He’s black, brown and white and he has a white stripe running down his back. He’s a triplet and he was born most recently. One of Homer’s sisters was born with a defect; her hind left leg is angled the wrong way. However, with proper help, she might make it.

Slaughter House

Today at the farm we took a trip down to the slaughterhouse in Groton with two lambs and two kids. The slaughterhouse is called Blood Farms. As ironic as it may be, the owner's last name is Blood. Immediately when I got out of the truck, the first thing I walk up to is a garbage bin full of cow organs. I took a few minutes to look at what was in the bucket. As foul as it may have been, I have never seen any sort of internal organs right in front of me; therefore I was interested and wasn't bothered by the sight.

When we opened the doors to holding pen, the first thing I noticed were the bright red puddles on the floor. I wasn't surprised by the blood considering it is a slaughterhouse, however I did wonder why it hadn't been cleaned up. None of the process bothered me at all knowing that the animals slaughtered at Blood Farms were raised healthy and were well cared for. It wasn't hard for me to leave them there because that's how families get food to eat.

After we put the animals in their pen, the owner's father took us on a tour of the farm. He showed us the smoker, which was full of pig ears and ham. He also showed us a finished product before it is packaged and sent back to the farm where the meat came from. After, he showed us the hides from the cattle they had slaughtered and he also showed us a bucket full of crowns. Crowns are the cattle's horns although they sometimes include the skull. They had no use for the crowns at the farm so he gave us a couple. Back at the farm we buried the crowns in the compost pile so that insects can eat all the meat off and we can dig them up and we have a clean crown.

In a few weeks or so, we will drive back out to Groton to pick up the meat from the animals we had dropped off. The meat we get back is frozen and stored in a freezer at the farm. When the sale freezers run out of meat, we price the different meats according to weight and quality stock sale freezers. Not only does Codman Farm sell goat and lamb meat, we also sell pork, beef, and eggs. Seeing the slaughterhouse was an interesting experience, however it does not look like a place where I would like to spend much time.

Sheep Beds

Now that it’s winter, I like to make my bed very warm and comfortable. I enjoy 7-10 large winter blankets to cover me. I’ve always been a fan of being comfortable. At the farm the other day, Eric showed me that when the sheep are eating, they stand so closely together that it’s possible to lay down across their backs and they don’t even mind. It’s their gentle swaying and comfortable wool blankets that make it so enjoyable for me. As well as when they burp or their stomachs growl, their entire body vibrates and slowly makes me fall asleep.

Mercedes "Gullwing"

Yesterday I began to build my model of a Mercedes 300SL “Gullwing.” This car was first manufactured in 1952 as a two-seat sports car with “Gullwing” doors. It was added to the Mercedes’ collection of competition-only sport cars. It was then sold as a production car from 1955-1963. This model was the production car made with a less powerful engine to decrease its price. The model is very detailed; it entails much concentration and the ability to work with very small pieces. I finished the motor the first day of working on the car. Although small, delicate, and time consuming, I found building it quite enjoyable. I got the inspiration to build the model of this car because over the summer I had the opportunity to sit and admire the new version of the Mercedes “Gullwing.”