It’s not just the wonderfully eclectic menu that features both a Thai Burger and the “Uber German” burger (did I mention the patties are actually homemade) or the comfy atmosphere with free wi-fi but this little bit of “Minneapolis in Rush City,” also has a huge dose of Rush City.

Owners Channa and Troy are kindred spirits of a sort. They moved up here to give their children a good life. They run their own business but keep it manageable so just the 2 of them can run it and they keep their children close. Firefly closes at 4:00 everyday leaving ample time for family. It’s not open at all on Sunday. The youngest stays with Channa except for a few hours during lunch rush and the school bus drops the older children off at the restaurant.

Yes Firefly is the type of business we love to see and love to support.
 

One day this week Channa (who also happens to be Cambodian) made Pho for the special. This Southeast Asian comfort food is a favorite of our family. That morning Avril was saying, “let’s get pho” but I thought, there’s no where in town to get it. Then I checked my facebook account and found a message from Channa, “Pho today.” Yum. (And just so you know it was a huge hit in Rush City, sold out).

That’s when I could pull them away from the internet.
 

Don’t you just love the farm girl style, complete with mud boots and crown?

Meanwhile their dad works to secure the old granary in preparations for it’s new use as a winter chicken coop.

The chicks are growing by leaps and bounds and starting to get their adult feathers. They are even testing their wings and fluttering around a bit. We have begun lowering the temperature in the brooder (baby chick house) so that by the time their feathers are all in hopefully they will be ready for outdoor temps.

The children to are growing by leaps and bounds and thriving. They spend much of the day outside. Here they came up with the idea to cut the lower branches off the big evergreen in our yard and make a clubhouse out of it.

Then bam an illness comes out of no where and knocks us off our feet. Effie and I are down with the flu. Although already today things are going better, but yesterday, my yesterday was a day. At first I was thinking, “man with all the things I have going on I don’t have time to get sick. Now I will be behind.”

But as I was sitting on the sofa yesterday afternoon in the silence holding my sick baby who only wanted to be held by me, I realized this is probably what I needed to slow down. And it was a beautiful moment. The older children were playing safely outside with Hiro and Jack (the canines in the family). We don’t have cable so whereas before on a day like yesterday I would veg out on the sofa with movies or TV the TV was silent. I wasn’t feeling well either so sitting up at the computer didn’t sound good and I was able to just be for a moment.

We kept it all hush, hush. Yesterday evening we loaded the kids in the car for a “surprise.” They thought we were taking them to a restaurant. Along the way we passed the “Happy Hound Hotel” and Two was whistfully asking when he could get a dog.

We pull up to the house and Two said “why are we here?” Then he heard dogs barking, and he looked at us.

This year I was on the planning committee and one of the presenters. It felt amazing being able to give back and share my experience with the farmers starting out just like I did. Well honestly most of them probably have more experience then I did but you know what I mean.
 

Here is the audience from one of my workshops. I spoke on 2 panels. One about Long Term Financing where I shared tips and things we had learned along the way. And then this workshop where I talked about “Sharing Your Story: using your history and experience to market your farm.”

According to Glen Hill, Executive Director of the Minnesota Food Association, this is a unique conference and the only one like it in the country. Other conferences I have attended are geared more towards the land owner while this conference is geared towards the beginning farm who will be renting land and often facing many hurdles on their way to ownership.
 
I have spoken before with translation but this time everything I said was translated into at least 5 languages, “Spanish, Somali, Hmong, Karen and Nepali.” Hill added that they want to make a conference where everyone feels comfortable asking questions. At one point a Spanish speaking gentleman asked me where we bought out chicks. I was blown away, I guess we really have come a long way. (FYI we bought the chicks from here and they are all still thriving.) As Aaron Blyth (Also of MFA) said, “This is why our work is so important.

Between the chicks arriving earlier then expected, a traffic jam and a mandatory training at Proeun’s work the children had no choice but to come with me for the 2nd day. Luckily Proeun was able to come back and help before my workshop and the people at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture were willing to share their table with the children for a quick breakfast treat of bagels and fruit.

For those of you that have never ordered chicks before this is how they come–in a box to the post office. It took just a day to get our chicks from the hatchery in Iowa. Meaning they arrived earlier then expected. Luckily we had everything set up and we have learned a lesson.
 

We ordered Rhode Island Reds, Buff Orpintons, Sumatras, a couple Polish and a mixed package. It will be so fun to see how these chicks develop and what they will look like.
 

Two’s favorite is this little Polish guy. You can see to poufy feathers that will be quite striking the older he gets. (We ordered a couple Polish roosters as these are Proeun’s favorite).

They are so cute and run around under the heat lamps. It is surpising how strong they are on day 2 of life. You have to be very careful when in the brooder though because they will sneak up on you. While I was working with they lights this little sheila climbed on my foot for a bit. Be very careful where you step. Luckily we haven’t lost any yet.

Last night we did discover a potential problem though–“pasting up.” This condition is when the chicks poo pastes up on their rear ends blocking their “vent” and keeping them from pooing (really technical) anymore. It can be deadly. So we discovered some chicks with pasting up right before bed last night. Treatment includes dipping the chicks rear end in a bowl full of warm water to soften it and then using a q-tip or paper towel to remove the hopefully now soft poo. Then you blow dry the chicks butt and keep an eye on them. Yes this is what Proeun and I were doing until 10:30 last night. Animal husbandry at its best.

When we had our business meeting last week and discussed all the necessary plans and purchases I would be lying if I didn’t admit to just a little stress. But my husband has taken care of it once again, finding exactly what we need for a great price and now we can cross tractor off our to do list!

It’s a Yanmar 26 horsepower. It arrived yesterday with free delivery, love the customer service up here, seriously. We purchased it from Olson Power and Equipment. If you are in the area and need any tools they are great people. We also found out they rent equipment so for the occasional heavy duty labor that needs a bigger tractor we have a source for that and once again they deliver, yah!

The kids had a great time riding the loop with their dad and it is really starting to look like a farm now. In a few short weeks our chicks arrive. Plans are already made for the greenhouse, and packing shed. Things are starting to role and things feel great.

I even have a new pastime.

Now is the time for the business of farming. Words like marketing, cash flow, customer retention, asset aquisition and such become part of bed time conversation with Proeun. Decisions have to be made, big decisions like greenhouse placement, cooler placement, tractors, soil amendments and organic certification.

It is a challenge, but I love a challenge. I am so so blessed to be on this journey with my husband, and he loves a challenge to.

So this week, many many phone calls will be made, probably a few big purchases and plans will take shape.

Anyway this was our first year attending the conference and our first year attending a conference with a real farm waiting for us. By real I mean one with a house on it and one we have access to for all the little dreams and plans taking form.

And the conference had just the information we needed. Proeun attending a 1/2 day workshop Thursday on keeping bees and we discovered Cannon Bees very close to us. Great mentoring options there.

For the actual conference Proeun and I divided our time between workshops. I learned about both hoophouse production to extend the season and the viability of greenhouse production for all winter use. Proeun learned all about bovine genetics and meat processing in Minnesota and we both attended the workshop on small scale poultry (the chicks are ordered and will be arriving early next month!)

Then there was the trade show where we learned all about fertilizer options and organic certification services. We also found a great local place to buy strawberry, raspberry, elderberry and asparagus plants.

As you see our youngest was learning the ropes. The youngest often comes with us for logistic reasons while nursing but now our oldest is showing an interest in the learning side. Every night when we came home Two wanted to hear all about what we learned and what our plans are. Maybe next year we will have 2 children in tow. Notice I didn’t bring the good camera, just way to much to carry and keep track of.

Of course I am all about the food. This conference actually has a “forager” as part of the planning committee. Here are some of the great breakfast treats.

Eggs, apple cider and cherry juice so simple and so so so good. At one of the workshops I went to about agriculture in Norway and Denmark the presenter said that in the early 1900s when communism was sweeping Europe the leaders in Norway, which was a pretty poor country at the time, decided that to try and combat the threat they would work on the nations food, increasing quality for everyone and standarizing some favorites–such as open face rye sandwiches with butter and herring for lunch.