HiBar Creations Launch Oct. 1, 20202 Old Ways Virtual Classroom Online Education We are happy to be launching an online "Old Ways Virtual Classroom" where children and adults can learn the old ways of doing things - many things - the old fashioned way by hand. As so many are stuck at home and in … Continue reading Old Ways Virtual Classroom™ Launching @ HiBar Creations Oct.1 2020
Yesterday we had an incredibly fun day with family here at HiBar Ranch nestled deep in the Smoky Mountains next to Smoky Mountain National Park. #castironcooking #campfirecooking We had a "decorate the farm" challenge with our grown daughters who each got $100 dollars to buy fall harvest decor and incorporate things from the farm, to … Continue reading Cast Iron Cooking Over Campfire and Fall Decorate The Farm Challenge – Join Us!
We finally got our horses down into our lower pastures after building a culvert to fix the road that got washed out from flooding this spring. Yesterday we were able to bring our two quarter horses down to the lower meadow pasture. They were able to meet their neighbor horses for the first time. It … Continue reading For The Love Of Horse: Beautiful Horse Photography
Hear from us at HiBar Ranch about our activities at the farm and see a tour of the Victorian farmhouse and how we go about creating a heritage home that will last for generations. Tour HiBar Ranch's Victorian Farmhouse Click link here to go to video: https://youtu.be/Veqhtjj8Sqg
A beautiful short mini movie capturing the beauty of Americana through a heirloom antique collection in this Victorian farm house. Tour the beauty and step back into a simpler time where beauty and elegance was made by hand. https://youtu.be/gLn_yP2odPM
Today was a great day harvesting our muscadine grapes. We will be making juice and wine this week as the harvest continues. Here is our latest VLOG on the harvest and also we talk about HiBar Ranch got its name and the values we live by here at the farm. Enjoy!! And remember to subscribe … Continue reading Our Muscadine Grape Harvest For Muscadine Wine – Today!!
It's that time of year - fall. This is the best time of year for all of us at HiBar Ranch. Besides all of the food and bounty that goes into preservation activities, the main house is decorated with tons of autumn decor. Tour our Victorian Farm House as we prepare for fall. https://youtu.be/sRUNckaq9Rw
Hear my story about 9/11 and flight 93 and how 9/11 caused our family to change our entire way of living. A story from a 9/11 New Yorker and how HiBar Ranch came into existence. https://youtu.be/1ecybq5Gghk
It was gorgeous today at our farm here in the Smoky Mountains. We got an early start and were up working near sunrise as it peaked over the foothills this morning. Lots of progress was made today on the farm. Follow our VLOG and see the work and slender of East Tennessee. https://youtu.be/VSw6iZwDCGI
It was stunning today at the farm with fog nestled low in the valley. I had to take my camera and capture the early morning. I hope you enjoy this photo essay. Here it is .... remember to click to subscribe to our youtube channel to get notices when we post our videos. https://youtu.be/LVdPzRGztzg Photo … Continue reading Photo Essay: Country Roads Take Us Home #Farmlife
Country roads are calling a lot of people these days as the Corona Virus continues to shackle people to their homes. The wildfires rage along the west coast filling the air with particles that my family says makes it appear as if it's snowing. But snow it is not; but rather ash. Here in East … Continue reading Country Roads Take Us Home
Mike Davis is the leading pioneer of solar energy in the United States being the first to establish a solar research laboratory, solar energy research curriculum and establishing the first US solar program in the United States for the Govt. Hear directly from Mike about what his childhood was like and how it spurred the … Continue reading Mike Davis – Solar Energy Pioneer – Learn How Solar Started In The US (1971-2000s)
Enjoy the photography of the week! https://youtu.be/D0lvepyYh1Q
We spent the holiday weekend milling up in the Smokies. The skies were bright baby blue and the greens were breathtaking. The infusion of reds beginning to pop with tints of golden hues were enough to make us stop and simply sit. Days like these in early fall make us really stop and appreciate our … Continue reading Beautiful Day Milling In The Smokies
We had a beautiful litter of Australian Shepherd pups this spring and will be having another litter in September. Here's a video that is a compilation of the Spring pictures of that litter and pictures of the pups today with their owners. Get on our waiting list for this fall's litter. Watch video below by … Continue reading New Australian Shepherd Pups In Sept – See the Spring Litter
Enjoy the month of August captured in photos here at HiBar Ranch in the Smoky Mountains. We will be doing a photo essay each month capturing the gorgeous scenes of harvest season. https://youtu.be/kz2hKk_xaws
We are up in the mountains now with our log mill and are milling logs for the next two months. I put up a game cam to see what critters we have around and here is our first visitor checking out our mill set up. We love wild critters so it comes as no surprise … Continue reading My New Woodland Friend – Milling In Bear Country
This is my favorite time of year; the temperature starts to dip in the evenings, the humidity drops and the first shades of fall color begin to intersperse amongst the pines. Most of us, during harvest season, go into "nesting mode." The aromatic candles, the black eyed Susans in water vases, apple pies, thoughts of … Continue reading August: What A Month At The Farm. Harvest Season Is Here!
Vets are a vital part of farm life. This video covers how to manage a pregnant cow who is nursing who gets mastitis. Our vet provides a great deal of information for other homesteaders who have cows or are thinking of getting cows. https://youtu.be/SfxTEvErrOU
It has been a fun journey to get the tiny cabin we are building at our ranch to this point: Completely weathered in. We have had some delays due to materials etc. but alas we are here. Now we head into the mountains to begin to mill the next round of lumber to finish the … Continue reading #TNTinyHouse2020 – Part 13 — We Are Finally Weathered In!!
July is a beautiful time of year here at HiBar Ranch. Â See what's been going on as we celebrate the Fourth of July and enjoy all the beauty and grandeur that is the Smoky Mountains. Â Remember to subscribe to our youtube channel if you'd like to follow our videos. https://youtu.be/ElLuzvOS6FU
Huge progress has taken place on our tiny house project. Â We are building the "Raven House".... a gorgeous tiny cabin. Â See the latest progress in our video. Â This cabin will be off the grid with solar power and is located on our farm where self sufficiency and food independence are our priorities. https://youtu.be/zGLNwncvx2g
It has been such a blessing having our little Aussie's this spring. Â They were born March 26th and are heading home to their new owners this week. Â Here's a few great shots of our spring 2020 litter for your enjoyment!
We were able to get so much done on the tiny house this last week!! Ridge beam, rafters, sky light framing, dormer framing, new lawn......wow. Follow our tiny cabin journey. https://youtu.be/HN-SFAd54Iw
My hand crank cream separator has not been working. Â Why? Â I am not sure. Â Apparently, in spring, goat milk has less fat so there isn't a lot of cream to separate. Â Maybe that was it. Â Or, maybe we weren't running the hand crank fast enough to get it to separate. Â Who knows. Â But, the bottom … Continue reading Finally! My New Cream Separator Has Arrived
It's been a busy spring at the farm. Â Now that we are getting caught up on things I thought I'd tour our property and see what was happening and what was blooming. Â I love this seasonal tour across the farm.
Down here in the South the honeysuckle are blooming and the air is fragrant and beautiful. Â The skies are deep baby blue and appear different than before; before Covid 19. Â There are rarely any planes seen in the sky and the sky appears better for it. Â The clouds and blues are stunning. I took a … Continue reading Traveling Across Our Farm – Such Beautiful Sounds
Follow along with us today and learn about the five key elements of a homestead kitchen. Â As more people begin to grow their own food again, thinking about the layout of your kitchen and/or remodeling to accommodate the home food productions steps is very helpful. Watch our Hearth & Home Series and learn what is … Continue reading The Five Most Important Items In A Homestead Kitchen – Hearth & Home
It's amazing what one man can do alone at the age of 73. Â Mike is building this gorgeous tiny house cabin alone for his daughter (due to Covid 19 she can't be here much since she's a nurse or she would be). Â Follow the progress and how to do the hardest part - installing the … Continue reading Our Latest #TinyHouse VLOG – Finishing Ridge Beam and Rafters – Follow our Tiny House Journey
I am not sure there is anything cuter than Australian Shepherd puppies. Â Our litter was born April 4th. Â They spend a lot of time outside sleeping in the warm weather. We have seven puppies - six boys. Â Five are blue merle and about five have beautiful blue eyes. Â It's been such an amazing spring on … Continue reading Australian Shepherd Puppies Getting Really Cute
It was cold today at the farm and cloudy. The babies are all doing well - the baby goats, lambs, chicks, ducks, turkeys, puppies, and now the new rabbit babies. Â They were born yesterday. After milking out seven goats this morning I was so tired. Â It always hits me this time of year when I … Continue reading Mountain Living – Rustic Elegance In The Smokies
News came out today that while many asset classes have dropped - energy and services to name a few - due to Corona Virus, food has seen its highest price jump in a given month since 1974. Â And with that, rent prices are still going up as well near 4 percent. On top of that, … Continue reading Food-Flation And The Ever Shrinking Supply Chain
Here is our latest VLOG that travels through our day at HiBar Ranch; from sheep shearing to milking goats, to milling lumber to raising babies - goats, sheep, dogs, and more. Â Watch what life is like on the farm. https://youtu.be/NF_Pfnpnces
Did you know there was a mystery race here in the Appalachian mountains before the first explorers came. Â Did you know they were totally erased from American historical records? Learn more about our ancient bloodlines - Our Melungeon story. Â Melungeon DNA is the biggest break away fascination in DNA testing today. Â It appears a whole … Continue reading Our Ancient Melungeon Story – A Mystery Race Here In The Appalachians Pre-Dating First Explorers
So much has taken place in the last week at HiBar Ranch. Â Here is a collection of black and white photographs that capture life on the farm. Wow. Â When I look at the photographs I have taken over the last week and a half I am moved by the beauty of this farm. Â It brings … Continue reading A Week At The Farm In Black & White (Photography)
We are building the Raven House tiny cabin. Â The hardest part is to put up the ridge beam. Â Here's our latest VLOG from our youtube channel on how you go about doing that. Â Also see what this cabin will look like when finished and what the cost is to build this and get it to … Continue reading Putting Up The Ridge Beam and Rafters On Our Tiny House
It's cold this morning at the farm. Â We live in East Tennessee which is usually much warmer this time of year. Â However, this morning we awoke to a chilly 33 degrees. Â It's sunny now but still quite crisp. Â So, before I start my chores I am sitting by the wood cook stove. Â It's burning again … Continue reading Thinking About China During Corona Virus – A Different Perspective – View From The Farm
I feel like this is the first time I've been able to truly sit down and relax with a cup of coffee this whole early spring. Â We had intended a big and busy spring due to a planned family reunion here in East Tennessee over the Fourth of July. Â However, with Covid-19 we've had to … Continue reading Reflecting On A Busy And Unusual Spring @HiBar Ranch
Folks are following along on our journey to build a tiny cabin that is off grid at our HiBar Ranch in East Tennessee. Â Our ranch nestles up against Smoky Mountain National Park. Â Here are some of the amazing pictures of what the final cabin will look like. We hope you remember to subscribe to our … Continue reading The #Raven House #TinyCabin We Are Building At Our Ranch
We've had to take down some dangerous trees that could do damage to our farm structures. Mike finally milled one of the two large logs that comprised one large oak we took down. This is how much lumber was generated from that half a tree. If you look closely you'll see the lumber on the … Continue reading Big Oak On Our Log Mill Today – So Much Lumber
We are making huge progress on our tiny cabin build. Â Here is the latest update as of yesterday.! Â We are moving up to the second floor now in this beautiful cabin loft. We hope you enjoy our latest update and remember to subscribe! https://youtu.be/Ink1JZeSQ7E
We raise Navajo Churro sheep at our farm here in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Â Our shearer comes out every six months to shear our boutique flock. Â We have our wool milled into yarn and roving for spinners, weavers and rug makers. This is such a special and difficult craft. Â I hope that Corona … Continue reading Sheep Shearing – A Dying Craft – Photos In Black & White @ Our Farm
What a busy day! Join us on our tour of life on the farm. Â Watch a sheep shearer shear our sheep. Â You'd be amazed at how fast he can do it. Â Installing bee supers, feeding puppies real food for the first time and more. Remember to subscribe to our blog and also follow us on … Continue reading Busy Day At The Farm – New Horse, Puppies & Sheep Shearer Here
I wanted to share some of the lovely photography that we've captured on the farm yesterday. Â Why? Â It's beautiful number one. Â But, number two is because I had an interesting conversation with our feed supplier yesterday, the AgCo-op here in Maryville Tennessee. Â I asked, "how's business with the whole corona virus thing going on?" Now, … Continue reading FARM LIFE ~ A Beautiful Life (Farm Photography) @ HiBar Ranch
What a day at the farm. So much going on. Â It ended great because we have a new wonderful critter at the farm. What our blog to see our day and our new farm additions. https://youtu.be/0oiBIfhSzjo
Well, it's almost 8am right now at I am ready for a very busy week. Â I have to head out early to get grain for the horses, sheep and goats and hurry back because our farrier is coming. Â It's been hard getting folks out during the quarantine. Â We are also having our farrier haul our … Continue reading A Big Week At Our Farm – Lots Happening #TNHomesteading at HiBar Ranch
Here's our daughter refurbishing her outdoor furniture where all the fabric in the seats tore out. Â This is an easy replacement and gorgeous; not to mention very durable. https://youtu.be/7GJHqPEMHjQ
The bees are doing great that we just installed at the beginning of April and our baby goats are doing well. Â Come take a tour with us on our farm today as we feed the bees and the babies and check on all the new food on the farm. https://youtu.be/w0weMHY_714
