No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. – Hebrews 12:11 [NIV version of the Bible]

James continues to ready the equipment for field work in the spring.

Martin and Konstantijn helped Shaun the shearer give our sheep their annual trim.

The guys have their weekly workouts with Jordan. This quote is appropriate. "Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret."

Jordan is teaching principles that provide many benefits in everyday life, not just physical fitness and self-defence.

Undisciplined Children: A Scourge in Society

Our society is full of undisciplined children and we all suffer as a result.

"Parents don't let your children rule your house. Otherwise, they'll grow up and they'll actually think they rule the world."

"If you don't discipline your child, you're raising a sociopath."

What is the meaning of "No"? It's not what you may think.

Pain is there to teach us and if we heed the instruction, it can save our lives. Thankfully, Konstantijn listened to her father and learned. It saved her life and a lot of grief for her parents.

Some may say Martin's take on disciplining children is strong medicine, but the truth is there and needs to be considered.

For more enlightening viewing, subscribe to The Angry Farmer on YouTube and Like The Angry Farmer on Facebook.

In our efforts to reduce the use of plastic bags, and even brown paper bags, we found ECOBAGS…organic cotton bags in a variety of sizes. The company's mission is "to offer thoughtful, ethically and sustainably sourced, durable-reusable bags that inspire people to reduce, reuse, recycle and re-imagine the world we live in."

ECOBAGS come in a variety of sizes, just right for what you need: cute little sandwich bags for small items, lunch-sized ones with Velcro closures, large shopping bags, string bags for produce, and many more.

Get a few ECOBAGS and you won't need to carry your groceries out in some strange box. Wink, wink!

Harvest Haven Pastured Lamb Shanks – Lamb shanks are not a common cut but are delicious when cooked long and slow in a savory sauce. Harvest Haven lamb is totally pasture-raised on a variety of lush grasses and Grander Living Water.

Harvest Haven Pastured Lamb Broth – A tasty broth made from roasted lamb bones and organic vegetables. A nutritious drink that protects the joints, helps reduce inflammation, heal the gut, and helps you sleep better.

Harvest Haven Butterball Potatoes - Creamy tender flesh with a smooth consistency and rich, buttery flavor make these potatoes our favorite. A versatile potato with an excellent storage life.

Harvest Haven Raw Honey – Yes, we have bees that provide us with delicious honey. Like everything else on our farm, these busy workers live without nasty chemicals, such as miticides or fungicides. They forage on our strawberry and raspberry blossoms, sweet clover, alfalfa, dandelions, maples, and all the other flowers growing here, so they don't need to roam onto chemical-laden canola fields.

Our raw honey is not heated in anyway, so it has all its natural goodness.

Nuts to You Organic Almond Butter – Not only does it taste great; it is super good for you. Loaded with healthy fats, it supports brain function and protects against heart disease, and is an excellent source of vitamin E, magnesium, and potassium.

Use almond butter in cakes, cookies, puddings, protein shakes, smoothies, and energy bars. And it's a nice spread on toast.

ECOBAGS Organic Cotton Mesh Produce Sacks – Only your imagination limits the uses for these classic string bags – stylish, convenient, washable, and expandable.

Please note, all ingredients in our recipes are organic.

How's Harriett?

Harriett, our guardian dog is very well!

But first, a brief update for those who are concerned about Cherry, Jeannie, and our milk woes. Cherry had her calf! It's a cute little heifer and we're all thankful to see her, especially Jeannie.

I wanted to call it WALT (Wait A Long Time), but everyone just groaned at that suggestion. Marseilles thought of "Poppy," so Poppy she is.

Now, to Harriett and her recent adventures.

She's on guard, keeping the coyotes at bay, and preventing other predators from harming the livestock. She is very protective of "her" farm.

When Shaun came to do his yearly task of shearing the sheep, Harriett was not happy. He was a stranger handling "her" sheep and that was NOT acceptable. Martin made her stay outside the sheep pen to keep him safe from her nips.

But that wasn't the worst part of the whole ordeal. Besides shearing sheep, Shaun is also a coyote hunter. Consequently, the smell of coyote was all over his truck. Harriett circled that truck barking ferociously for the two hours or more it was there. Talk about stress for the poor girl!

Harriett was a little stressed out the other morning, too. As Jeannie and Jennifer were going into the Farm Fit Facility to do their morning exercises, Harriett was barking aggressively. Looking to see what was troubling her, Jeannie saw someone coming towards them across the field from the main road. This was highly unusual, and Harriett knew it.

Jeannie was anxious, too. Who was this person? Why was he walking and from that direction? Why was he coming early on the day we were closed? Would Harriett bite him? Should she restrain Harriett or let her do her job?

Much to Jeannie's relief, it was Jordan Mein coming early for his class with the guys. He decided to walk out from the city.

Harriett wasn't quite so reassured. This was just too strange for her. People don't walk onto the farm that early in the morning. With a degree of skepticism, yet recognizing Jordan, she allowed him to pet her. But she didn't leave the door of the gym for awhile, just to be sure all was okay.

Anything out of the usual is questionable. It's her farm and she's going to do her best to take care of it and keep things ordered.

Mathijs found this out the other day when we had a perfect day for making snowmen. He and his grandmother made this cute little snowman out by the raspberry patch. It had two rocks for eyes and a long carrot for a nose.

"Daddy, you need to see the snowman Grandma and I made," he messaged Martin.

"Sure, son, where is it?"

"Over by the raspberries."

Martin went over to where he thought it was supposed to be. "Where is it, Mathijs? Are you sure I'm in the right place?"

"Oh, I see what happened," Martin sighed knowingly.

All he saw were a few clumps of snow and lots of big dog tracks. Even the carrot was gone. (Harriett loves carrots.) Who knows what her thinking was, but Mathijs' snowman was obliterated.

A little later, the guys decided they couldn't resist making a couple of big snowmen; the snow was perfect and the temperature just below freezing. Harriett came bouncing up to them and proceeded to do the same thing to one of the white giants. Before she got too far, she was told, "No!"

Harriett stopped, looked around, listened for a minute while being told not to touch either of the snowmen, then, decided she had other business to tend to. She ran off to the edge of the yard and started barking at who knows what. But she obeyed and the snowmen are still standing.

We all love Harriett. She's intelligent, lively, caring, and a great watchdog.

One last little story of her care. The neighbors have an older beagle that liked to wander through our farmyard before Harriett arrived as a puppy. At first, Harriet showed deference to the beagle, but as she grew, she began to assume authority while remaining friendly with her neighbor.

When Jonathan was driving out one day, the beagle was about to cross the road in front of him. Harriett stepped in front of the smaller dog to keep it from being hit by the car and stood there until Jonathan drove past them. Isn't that sweet?