Craneview on Plainview LLC

Our big backyard trail is mostly underwater at this point, but our restoration plan is working. These pictures don't do it justice but the boring and invasive reed canary grass is being decimated and replaced by native wetland species such as these. . .swamp milkweed and sedges.

If you want to see wetland restoration in action, please come visit. Grab some eggs while you're here!

Get this girl to camp!

Come purchase farm fresh eggs, repurposed golf balls, or both.

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 6th from 12 to 3 at Craneview on Plainview. N80W23792 Plainview Road.

Drive right up to the table by the garage. We'll be looking for you!

https://www.peterdargatz.com/talesfromthetrail/lap-4

Lap 4 — Teaching Off Trail Mother Nature is still deciding if spring is coming early or if Old Man Winter is hanging on for dear life. Her indecisive behavior has continued to put regular laps on hold for now. This week, my lap focused on coop clearing and composting. Our lovely chickens are essential to the health of our ga

https://www.peterdargatz.com/talesfromthetrail/lap-3-trail-camera-down

Lap 3 . . . Trail Camera Down — Teaching Off Trail The third lap was still quite a wet one. My son and I took a trip to the far north end of our property Besides finding three golf balls, we found one rather interesting development. Our trail camera. On the ground. This winter, though mild overall, has had a few heavy snows and plenty of wind. I’m

https://www.peterdargatz.com/talesfromthetrail/lap-2

Lap 2. . .For the Birds — Teaching Off Trail With my goal of being a 1,000 lapper in 2024, you may think I am off to an incredibly slow start. Well, you would be correct, but this is somewhat intentional. The laps will be completed for various reasons. Land maintenance, restoration projects, wildlife watching, and trail running to name a few.

Anyone need eggs?

https://www.peterdargatz.com/talesfromthetrail/the-first-steps-lap-1

The First Steps. . . Lap 1 — Teaching Off Trail In 2023, I challenged myself to write a 365-word log each day describing the story of our life on the farm so far. It was tough at times, but overall, finishing that challenge was incredibly satisfying. In fact, it has made me want to start a new one. I am an avid fan of the Ice Age Trail. Compl

Day 365

Day 365 - The Final Countdown — Teaching Off Trail Just over a year ago, I was in a writing rut. For years, I was working on trying to publish picture books for children. It has been one of the harder journeys in my life. Besides being ridiculously competitive, it is very time-consuming and requires extreme patience and a very thick skin. I sometime

Day 364

Day 364 — Teaching Off Trail There really is no rest for the weary at the farm. Even when I do have small pockets of time to do nothing, I can’t. Part of this constant craziness is certainly self inflicted, but the responsibilities of farm life can’t be understated. I jokingly tease (and get teased) by friends and colleague...

Day 363

Day 363 — Teaching Off Trail Every morning, I take a second to look out into the big backyard and admire our land. It’s always a beautiful sight. Each season provides new opportunities. It's always exciting to see animals roaming. As our restoration project moves through the different steps, More and more animals are seen. Ev...

Just a few more days left in my 2023 writing challenge. I decided to write a 365-word a day blog entry at peterdargatz.com It has been fun describing the ins and outs of farm life.

In 2024, I plan on getting back into the picture book world and see where it takes me.

If you've enjoyed the blog entries and/or want to support me as a writer, feel free to purchases a copy of my book TEACHING OFF TRAIL and give to your local library, teacher, or school.

Thanks, and Happy New Year!

https://www.redleafpress.org/Teaching-Off-Trail-My-Classrooms-Nature-Transformation-through-Play-P2622.aspx

Teaching Off Trail: My Classroom's Nature Transformation through Play Teaching Off Trail describes the transformation of Peter Dargatz, a national board-certified teacher, and public school coordinator, from an anxious assessor and worksheet distributor to a fair and fun facilitator of learning by creating a nature kindergarten while staying in the same public school....

Day 362

Day 362 — Teaching Off Trail Fire is a powerful thing. In some cases, it can be very destructive and dangerous. In other ways, it can be a sign of rebirth and regeneration. At the farm, fire is used in many, many ways. This might be an odd thing for me to say since one of our first steps in the remodel was removing the firepla

Day 361

Day 361 — Teaching Off Trail Living on a farm, it’s not surprising that life can get dirty at times. Similar to what I tell the parents of my outdoor kindergarten program, there will be blood, mud, and crud. Whether we are exploring recreationally or working on various mentally and physically exhausting projects, fam life can...

Day 360

Day 360 — Teaching Off Trail Every time you go out and experience nature, you walk away with something. Maybe it’s less stress. Maybe it’s peace of mind. Maybe it’s mental clarity. Or maybe it’s a deer leg. Over our few years at the farm, we’ve had plenty of time to explore what our twenty-acre slice of heaven (almost...

Day 359

Day 359 — Teaching Off Trail While I work to improve every aspect of the farm, I know that this work will pay off. Like I said, the goal of our improvement is to not only make our residence a wonderful place to make memories for our family, but to have Craneview on Plainview be a great place for the community. Lost in all of th

Day 358

Day 358 — Teaching Off Trail This winter, I hope to be productive in the barn. Obviously, we will need to do daily checks on our lovely chickens, adding water and food, and removing eggs and manure. But even without the birds, there are many tasks to be completed. Besides continuing to tweak our organization and make the barn m

Day 357

Day 357 — Teaching Off Trail While we discuss and determine the future of our farm, there are plenty of things to work on. Organizing the barn is always near or at the top of the list. Now that the warm season is finished, the barn has become more of a storage area. As we get more comfortable with our barn and acquire more mate

Day 356

Day 356 — Teaching Off Trail Besides the growth of our inflatable family, we will continue to make steps to increase other guests to the farm. As we continue to restore the land by removing invasive plants and promoting native species, we hope to see more plants and animals call Craneview on Plainview home. Even in our early st

Day 355

Day 355 — Teaching Off Trail Just when I think we are done, we’ve only just begun. In the last few days our inflatable family has continued to increase. For St. Nick’s we added three new inflatables for the three kids. Thinking we might be done, I added them to our collection, connected them to a timer, and now proudly enjo...

Day 354

Day 354 — Teaching Off Trail With the holidays just around the corner, an annual rite of passage has begun. An event that is simultaneously painful and pleasing. The toy purge. Being a playful family, we have a decent amount of toys throughout the house. While we aim to be outdoors as much as we can, we still enjoy a good toy

Day 353

Day 353 — Teaching Off Trail We love walking our trail. In the dry times of the year, we go out on a daily basis, often multiple times a day. Sometimes, we check on flowers. Sometimes, we do some invasive plant removal. Most of the time, we stop to look for golf balls. Unless you are talking about mini golf, I am not a golfer.

Day 352

Day 352 — Teaching Off Trail Since becoming a father, I’ve tried to improve my dad jokes. I’m not there yet but I can say my dad bod is in full effect. Though my dad jokes aren’t perfect yet, I still have plenty of material to work with. I have been told that I have a playful personality. I think that is a nice way to say...

Day 351

Day 351 — Teaching Off Trail Sometimes you get so busy with things, you don't see things even though they are right in front of you. For example, if you are with your kids every day, you don’t see the amazing growth they experience. If you see a kid once a year, the changes you notice are amazing and often hard to believe. I ...

Day 350

Day 350 — Teaching Off Trail I used to love being lazy. I remember looking forward to days where I wouldn't leave the couch. Maybe it’s because I have three kids, three jobs, and a farm to work on, but I am now a busybody. In fact, I’ve noticed I often have a hard time sitting still for extended periods of time. I like bein...

Day 349

Day 349 — Teaching Off Trail One factor that can sometimes impact our ability to watch the birds visiting the farm is weather-related. As aforementioned in earlier posts, we live in a wind vortex. With so much open land directly to our west, when the wind picked up it seemed to achieve gale-like forces once it got to us. We’v...

Just over two weeks left before I complete my writing goal or 2023. I took the year off picture book writing to add a 365-word blog about life on the farm every single day.

While I plan to get back into the picture book world in 2024, I am excited to see this goal come to a successful completion. If you haven't been following along, it's not too late to start. Check out the blog section of peterdargatz.com

Day 348

Day 348 — Teaching Off Trail While busy dealing with chickens every day, we haven’t forgotten about our other feathered friends. We’re not named Craneview on Plainview for nothing. We are all bird loving craniacs who enjoy learning about and observing these amazing birds. In fact one of our favorite destinations is the Inte...

Day 347

Day 347 — Teaching Off Trail Luckily, we are enjoying being chicken farmers. It’s not as glamorous as some may think it is. There is daily maintenance and care that has direct implications on the behavior and productivity of the birds. We have laying chickens, not meat birds. We have opted against including a rooster or multi...

Day 346

Day 346 — Teaching Off Trail Winter is just around the corner, even if it has been milder than expected. As the temperatures steadily decline, some of the daily farm chores become much trickier. The garden has been winterized, so all we really have to do is wait for spring to return so we can get the garden green and growing. T

Day 345

Day 345 — Teaching Off Trail When I’m not running children around or running around doing gardening, restoration, and chicky chores, I'm running. Literally running. I've been fortunate enough to stay relatively healthy as I grow older. This has helped me find a new passion. For a while, I was able to take that passion and kee