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The Gorham Homestead, Dickson, TN (2026)

03/16/2026

Spring rush is beginning.

The farm is hopping and every day is a new project.. which includes non stop work from 4 AM to 10 PM. All hands on deck. Please understand if you don’t hear from me or see me or I don’t show up for something…I don’t mean to. We are just really focusing on getting things done this year that we have put off so that next year we can just maintain.

I will see y’all after Thanksgiving, my friends.

03/13/2026

Resilience addition of the week: Hand Crank Well Pump

We finally broke down and purchased the Flojak hand crank deep well pump for manual pumping if our other systems for moving water should fail.

We looked at both Bison and Flojak and decided to go with this one.

We are looking forward to getting it installed and will let you know what we think of it once it’s done.

*photo credit: Flojak website

03/09/2026

I’m pretty excited about my new dairy bibs. This will keep my clothes clean and keep the poopie doopie off of me. It’s also waterproof and has lots of hidden waterproof pockets 🙃

03/08/2026

I’m proud of my son not because of any awards that he received but because of what wrestling made him as a person.

That same kid who sat alone freshman year. The same kid who had no confidence or self-esteem. That same ADHD introverted kid who didn’t know if he had a place in the world… found his way because wrestling is not just physical..it’s also mental…and it’s no place for the weak.

It’s not always about the athletics, though. It’s about what wrestling creates on the inside. It’s about true discipline, mental clarity, conviction and heart. It’s about believing in something bigger than yourself but still having to perform on an individual level each and every time.

Chase was never going to be a state champion wrestler but watching him grow up, develop and lead… the steady growth and improvement.. seeing him overcome obstacles one by one… that makes him a champion.

Wrestling 190 weighing 175, then dropping to 165 because his team needed him there. He was only 6% body fat at 175. That weight drop while maintaining hydration took discipline and that’s a lesson much bigger than wrestling. That’s a lesson for life.

His next phase is to begin his education and preparation to become a lawyer. I have no doubt wrestling has given him the skills and tools he needs to achieve anything he wants to do in life.

I’d like to believe that raising him on a farm, teaching him to milk cows, to live a prepared life, work hard and pray hard will balance his soul and help him in the future too. 😉

Son- You can have all the things you want in life. You just first have to define the dream. Then you have to systematically make it happen. You can have both a grounded refuge in your home life and a successful booming business life.

That’s the beauty. Once you have the tools and the skills to build (and God with you)… you get to build it anyway you want. The options are limitless. ❤️❤️❤️

03/05/2026

I will sadly be selling my sweet Scarlet this month. The only reason I am selling her is because she is A1A2 and I’m transitioning to all A2A2 cows for simplicity. I got her when she was 3 days old and she has spent her entire life with me. She was the first cow I trained and she is the BEST cow. She produces 4 gallons at peak and is halter trained and easy to handle. She is an “in your pocket” cow and would be great for a first time milk cow family.

She is disease free. DOB: May 6, 2021. Calved 12-25-25. Currently open, but will AI this month. Easy to breed. No metabolic issues. Calves unassisted. Good mama. Great udder conformity. Machine or hand milk. Decent size teats for hand milking. She is in her prime. If she was A2- she would NEVER leave. 😔

I WANT HER TO GO TO A GOOD HOME WHERE SHE WILL BE THE STAR SHE DESERVES TO BE.

My price is firm. Do not ask me to take less. I worked my butt off perfecting this cow. 💲3️⃣🕒🕒🕒

03/05/2026

Dawn on the Farm: Beeutiful Bees

After the morning chores are finished and the cows are settled, Farmer Dawn walks out to the bee yard.

The air is quiet except for the gentle hum that always seems to float around the hives. She pulls on her pink bee suit, tightens the veil around her hat, and slips on her gloves. The bees are usually calm, but showing them a little respect tends to work out in her favor.

Today is maintenance day.

Dawn’s bee mentor, Will, had given her some homework after helping her add mite strips a few days ago.
“Check the hives, give them a little sugar, move these frames to the bottom and make sure everything is in good shape,” he told her.

So that’s exactly what she’s doing.

The winter months can be hard on bees. Sometimes they run low on food before the flowers begin to bloom again. Dawn carefully opens the first hive and places some sugar inside to give them a boost until the nectar starts flowing.

This hive belongs to Queen Aretha.

Because around here, the queens are named after the Queens of Soul.

Dawn works slowly and gently, just like Will taught her.

Frame by frame she checks the hive, looking to see how the colony is doing. Are the bees active? Is the brood pattern healthy? Is the hive clean and strong? This has been a steep learning curve. She still has so much to learn.

The bees buzz softly around her veil while she works.

Dawn talks to them quietly the way farmers often talk to their animals.

“Alright girls… let’s see how Queen Aretha is doing today.”

A few bees circle around her veil like tiny security guards.

Inside the hive, two bees appear to be whispering.

“Hey… what’s she doing in here?”

“I think she’s the sugar delivery lady.”

“Well she better show a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T to Queen Aretha while she’s at it.”

Another bee squints up toward Dawn’s veil.

“Oh no,” she says. “I think that’s a pink bear.”

A third bee flies by carrying a tiny sugar crystal.

“Pink bear or not,” she says, “she brought snacks. Don’t scare her off.”

Dawn sprinkles a little sugar inside the hive.

“Well there you go girls,” Dawn says. “Compliments of Farmer Will.”

Another bee buzzes by carrying a crystal of sugar.

“Whoa there,” another bee says. “Don’t take it all!”

“Don’t worry,” the first bee says. “Queen Aretha says …you better THINK …think about what you’re tryin to do to bees. She don’t play. I know that”

Dawn chuckles quietly inside her veil.

Once Queen Aretha’s hive is buttoned back up, Dawn moves over to the next hive.

This one belongs to Queen Etta.

Dawn lifts the lid and a cloud of bees rises up to greet her.

“Well hello ladies,” Dawn says.

Inside the hive two bees are buzzing excitedly.

“She’s back!”

“I told you she would come….”

“AT LAST, my sugar has come along.” the bee choir joins in.

Dawn laughs again.

“Don’t worry girls, I’m right on time with the groceries.”

She adds another scoop of sugar.

One bee zips past another carrying a heavy load.

“You better hurry,” one says.

“I am hurrying!”

“Well you better keep moving because we might run out of food.”

“I’d rather go blind” Queen Etta barks from her frame. She means business too.

Dawn shakes her head.

“You girls sure are dramatic.”

Finally Dawn walks over to the third hive.

This one belongs to Queen Gladys.

As soon as she opens the lid, a bee buzzes past her veil and back again like it’s checking the perimeter.

“Security detail,” Dawn says. “I understand.”

Inside the hive two bees are buzzing back and forth.

“Is that her?”

“I think that’s her.”

“I’ve been waiting all morning!”

“Well calm down,” the other bee says. “Y’all acting like she took the midnight train to Georgia. I told you the pink bear would be back”

Dawn adds a little sugar and checks the frames.

“Alright Queen Gladys,” she says. “Everybody looks good in here. I’m NOT a pink bear, though”

The bees settle back down and get back to work. She overhears one singing “You’re the best thing, oh, that ever happened to me”. Farmer Dawn smiles as she notices that she’s actually singing to the sugar crystal as she dances it around. Another lady bee zips up to her veil for one last eye-to-eye encounter… “go on now…pink bear” she demands..shooing Farmer Dawn away.

“Just hang on. I’m almost done.” Farmer Dawn gently responds back. A little adjustment here. A quick check there.

Being a beekeeper means learning something new all the time, and Dawn is grateful to have someone like Will guiding her along the way.

When the last hive is closed and the lids are secure, Dawn steps back and watches for a moment.

Bees begin flying in and out again, returning to their busy little jobs.

One bee zips past another on the way out.

“Move it, Carol,” she says. “We’ve got flowers to visit.”

Spring will be here soon, and when it comes these hives will help pollinate the orchard, the garden, the medicine garden and allllllllll the wildflowers around the farm.

Dawn smiles.

Because healthy bees mean a healthy farm.

And Queen Aretha, Queen Etta, and Queen Gladys have a lot of singing… and a lot of work… to do. 🐝🌸

03/04/2026

Dawn on the Farm: Daily Milk Testing (illustrations by AI for effect)

Once the morning milking is finished and the cows are back to their hay, Dawn heads into the cannery.

The porch grows quiet behind her as she walks in and begins her next routine. The first thing she does each morning is tidy up and get everything ready for the farm store to open. Counters are wiped down, jars are straightened, and the floor gets a quick sweep. Dawn likes things clean and orderly before the day begins.

In the milk room, the fresh milk is already chilling in the tank. Cold milk is safe milk, and Dawn never rushes that part.

Once everything is neat and the milk is resting where it should be, it’s time for the part of the job most people never see.

Testing.

Dawn sits down at the table in her office and pulls on a pair of gloves. This area is her very own lab. Being a biology nerd makes her love this part. Microbiology was actually her favorite college class. Funny how those skills have now become useful after a good 30 years later. At least in this lab, she won’t be culturing any “unknowns”. At least we HOPE not.

She carefully saves three small samples from the morning’s milk and places them in the freezer. Those samples are her records. If she ever needs to go back and check something later, the proof is right there.

She writes down exactly which herdshare families will receive milk from that batch, making sure every jar that leaves the farm can be traced back to the day it was milked.

Now the testing begins.

From the fresh milk, Dawn measures 1 milliliter of milk for her coliform test.

Then she prepares the SPC test, also known as the Standard Plate Count. For this test she measures 1 milliliter of milk and mixes it with 9 milliliters of sterile water before placing it onto the plate.

These small plates will spend the next couple of days inside the incubator, quietly growing whatever bacteria may be present. Most days there isn’t much to see, and that’s exactly how Dawn likes it.

Before starting the new tests, she opens the incubator and removes yesterday’s plates. She studies them carefully under the lamp and records the results on her clipboard.

Every number gets written down. Every result gets documented.

When she’s finished, the used plates are sealed inside a Ziploc freezer bag and stored until it’s time to dispose of them properly. She thinks about how much she appreciates this suggestion given to her by a fellow dairy woman, Suzanne. “She’s been doing this a lot longer than me so if she says do it, I’m gonna do it” she says out loud. Then kind of giggles at herself about how much she talks to herself around the farm.

With that done, Dawn removes her gloves and closes her notebook.

Outside, the farm is already coming alive again.

Customers will be arriving soon to pick up their milk. 10 am sharp. Open for business.

And thanks to this quiet work done each morning in the cannery, Dawn knows exactly what she’s handing them.

Clean milk. Safe milk. Honest milk.

Just the way it should be on the farm. 🐄🥛

03/04/2026

Our meat chicks arrived yesterday at Gorham Homestead 🐥

Over the next several weeks they’ll be raised on pasture and moved regularly to fresh grass right here on the farm.

They will be ready in May, and pre-orders for whole chickens are now open.

If you’d like to reserve chickens for your freezer, please place your order through the website.

Once they’re sold out, that’s it until the next batch.

Thank you for supporting your local farmer and choosing food raised close to home.

Reserve yours here: TheGorhamHomestead.com

03/03/2026

Dawn on the Farm
“Morning Milking”

The sun’s just coming up over the eastern ridge of the farm.

A warm, multicolored glow stretches across the horizon, brushing the sky in soft orange, rose, and pale gold.

Farmer Dawn slides into her working clothes.

It’s 20° according to the old-fashioned thermometer nailed to the porch post. She won it as a door prize at a poultry nutrition class put on by Fertrell Feeds at the local feed mill during their first year on the farm.

She was proud to have Fertrell advertising ..even if only on the face of her trusty thermometer.

The red hand is steady and honest.

She will need layers today.

Her base layer is simple. Yoga pants. A T-shirt. Thick wool socks that have seen many winters. This particular pair has a small hole where her middle toe peeks through.

Barely though. Not enough to throw away.

She steps into her boots and pulls her coat tight around her shoulders.

She exits through the basement, pausing to lower the damper on the wood stove. It’s roaring now. The old water bath canner on top sends steady steam into the air.

Time to go to work, she thought. It’s kinda nice now that I can walk to work. I don’t have to fight rush-hour traffic.

She steps outside.

The cold hits sharp. The kind that tightens your lungs for the first few breaths.

Gravel crunches under her boots as she walks toward the cannery.

The porch light casts a soft glow across the back porch where the stanchion sits ready. This is where the work happens. Not in a big barn. Not in a romantic red dairy house.

On the back porch of the cannery.

Ralph announces the morning from the front yard like he owns the place.

“Morning, Ralph,” she says as she unlocks the door.

Inside the cannery, the stainless steel waits. Clean. Dry. Ready.

She flips on every single light. She may like for morning light to be subtle but workspace …that’s a different story.

First, she pulls on the rest of her armor.

Ski pants.

And her old puffer ski jacket, once meant for ski slopes and winter outings, now permanently assigned to farm duty. The white lining peeks out from several snags where gates and rude barbed wire have left their mark.

Not pretty.

Faithful.

She sets out the inflations and hoses that were washed thoroughly the night before. She doesn’t trust memory. She trusts routine.

The chill tank hums quietly in the corner.

Laying in the pasture, the first cow, Scarlet, is already waiting.

They know the schedule.

Farmer Dawn opens the gate and Scarlet, just like clockwork, makes her way into the stanchion and waits for her to close the gate back and start their morning routine together.

She walkes to the front and closes the head catch.

Grain hits the feed trough. Then alfalfa. Sprinkled with minerals such as Vitamin E and kelp like a top dressing on a salad.

Four pounds total. Measured. Every time. Just enough for a snack and to keep their rumen healthy. (Plus, it keeps them still in the stanchion… that’s the important part.) The sound echoes into the cold morning air.

She washes Scarlet’s teats with warm soapy water and dries them well. Bacteria loves moisture..and we don’t love bacteria …at least not here.

Pre-dip.

Strip.

Watch.

Listen.

Milk tells you things if you pay attention.

Then she wipes clean and reaches for the milker.

The hum begins.

The clear lines fill with warm white streams as the machine does its steady work.

Steam rises faintly in the 20° air.

This is the moment she loves.

The sound of the milking machine’s steady click, click, click, click like a metronome keeping time.

The rhythm of chewing.

The quiet trust between cow and farmer.

One by one, she repeats the process.

Latch open.

Next.

The sun climbs higher over the eastern ridge, casting light across the back pasture.

She carries the milk inside and transfers it into the chill tank. The temperature barely moves.

Precision.

Cleanliness.

Responsibility.

She will test it.

She will hold it.

She will not put it out in the fridge until she knows it is right.

Because families are waiting.

When she finally steps back into the cannery after morning cleanup, her cheeks are red and her breath steady.

The day has officially begun.

And the steady beat of the homestead song begins and ends each day from the back porch of the cannery.

02/27/2026

The dental lobby claims we need more research on fluoride.

Here's what the research actually shows:

A 2024 federal court ruled current fluoridation levels pose an "unreasonable risk" to children's brain development (Food & Water Watch v. EPA).

The National Toxicology Program found an association between fluoride exposure and lower IQ in children.

Modern dental science shows fluoride works topically when it contacts teeth, not when swallowed (https://loom.ly/RqckGLM).

HB 2396 gives Tennessee families the right to choose.

Contact members of the House Agriculture Committee and ask them to vote YES on HB 2396.

02/23/2026

Dawn on the Farm
“Winter Morning”

It’s 4 AM.
The alarm goes off. Beep. Beep. Beep.

It’s so cold.

She isn’t ready to get up yet. Her body is warm under the covers, but her face is cold, which means the house is chilly this morning.

Farmer Dawn hits snooze just once, settling back in for one more quick nap.

Two seconds later… beep beep beep beep beep.

The alarm goes off again.

Farmer Dawn begrudgingly turns it off and slides her feet onto the bedside rug, home to her very comfy, wool-lined house shoes. At least her feet will be warm.

She lights her bedside lamp and makes her way into the dark (and slightly chilly) kitchen.

Farmer Dawn’s morning duties inside the house always begin with two things in the winter: fire and water.

The first thing she does is walk over to the Aladdin lamp on the wall. She pulls it down, finds her box of matches, and turns the chimney housing a half crank so only the glass lifts off, exposing the wick.

Farmer Dawn keeps a large box of matches close by. She could use a lighter, but she prefers the smell of matches in the morning. That sweet sulfur scent lingers in the air just long enough to feel nostalgic.

She strikes the match and lights the wick, watching carefully to make sure she has an even circle of flame ….the fire dancing around the edge and meeting in the center.

She replaces the chimney and turns it up just enough to begin warming the mantle.

Then she lights a traditional oil lamp in the kitchen so she has immediate light while the Aladdin warms.

The only thing Farmer Dawn does in a hurry in the morning is start the coffee.

Years ago, she and Farmer Tee decided they prefer the taste of freshly ground beans. So Dawn measures out the coffee and begins cranking the grinder.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The smell of coffee begins to fill the air, one hand crank at a time. “Mmmmm ..Holler Roast..my favorite.” Dawn whispers to herself.

Now, Farmer Dawn LOVES technology. She uses it all day long.

But her mornings are intentionally antiquated.

She keeps her routine slow and grounded in old-fashioned skills because it resets her nervous system before the day begins.

Once the coffee is perking, Farmer Dawn heads to the basement.

Next on her list: the fire.

One of the things that truly excited her about this house was the Drolet wood stove sitting squarely in the center of the basement. She had always wanted a clean-burning wood stove.

She grew up with wood heat, but those old stoves weren’t efficient, and the smoke would make her sick every winter.

This one is different.

This stove burns clean. It doesn’t smell as long as Farmer Tee lights it properly and avoids a backdraft.

She sees he did a good job loading the firebox before bed. A steady bed of coals still glows beneath the ashes. The upstairs may be chilly, but the basement is still toasty.

She opens the stove and walks over to the neatly stacked wood. Tee always brings enough in at night so she doesn’t have to step outside into the cold before sunrise.

She loads the firebox one split log at a time, laying them side by side like soldiers. Then she slides the damper open, giving the resting coals the oxygen they need to wake back up.

Next to the woodpile sits a five-gallon bucket, an old green pickle bucket from a friend who once owned a barbecue restaurant. Every time she grabs it, she thinks of them.

She carries the bucket upstairs and fills it about two-thirds full at the sink ….just enough to match what the pot on the stove will hold.

Back downstairs, she pours three to four gallons into an old water bath canner that now lives permanently on top of the wood stove. It has been repurposed as a humidifier, sending steam into the dry winter air.

Fire and water.

Back in the kitchen, her next task is to fill the Berkey water filter.

The Berkey has its own special place on the counter. It holds about six gallons. Even though she is on well water that she tests yearly, the boys prefer the taste of Berkey water. They say it tastes better.

She thinks it’s probably in their heads.

Regardless, she fills it so drinking water is ready for the day.

Once the fire is settled and the water is filled, she returns to her Aladdin lamps, slowly turning them up until their glow fills the room like a light bulb.

She can only use pure Aladdin lamp oil. She is sensitive to smells, and other kerosene brands give her terrible headaches. But the pure Aladdin oil doesn’t bother her.

Finally, Dawn settles into her favorite spot on the couch.

Coffee in hand.

Morning prayers spoken.

She listens.

The roosters are beginning to crow out front, but the rest of the farm is still quiet. The sun hasn’t risen yet.

These are her sacred hours.

There will be technology later. Screens. Phones. Orders. Decisions.

But for now…

No artificial light.
No noise.
No sensory overload.

Just flame, water, coffee, and prayer.

By 6 AM she will be bundled into her winter farm clothes, standing beside the first cow in the stanchion.

Ralph will hop up on his post and announce that the workday has begun.

And the familiar symphony of the homestead will play again.

The Gorham Homestead

03/16/2026

03/13/2026

03/09/2026

03/08/2026

03/05/2026

03/05/2026

03/04/2026

03/04/2026

03/03/2026

02/27/2026

02/23/2026

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