Let's Get Real

Counting Blessings #228

2012-02-05T13:30:00.002-06:00

228) I'm thankful that the two mistakes I made in making waffles today taught me some wonderful things! :)

I found a waffle recipe that's simple and good, but I've always disliked the amount of vegetable oil called for in the recipe, as well as wanting it to have whole grains in it. Today, I began making a batch of waffles before I remembered that I'd used up almost all of my white flour making bread yesterday. I had no choice but to try using almost all whole wheat flour. I also forgot the vegetable oil entirely, and low and behold, they were still great waffles! So, here's the original recipe, and the recipe the way I was using it, and finally the recipe as I made it today.

original recipe (x2, because I have four growing and very hungry kids)

4 eggs
4c. flour
3 1/2c. milk
1c. veg. oil
2T sugar
2 1/2T baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1t. vanilla extract

My usual

4 eggs
1c. whole wheat flour
3c. unbleached flour
3/4c. veg. oil
2T sugar
2 1/2T baking powder
1/2t. salt
1t. vanilla extract

the mistake that got me on the right track

4 eggs
1c. white flour
3c. whole wheat flour
Zero vegetable oil!
2T sugar
2 1/2t salt
1t. vanilla extract

easy method (very good)
whip eggs until light
add liquid ingredients
add dry ingredients
mix until smooth

still easy and supposedly better, but I really can't tell the difference
separate eggs and reserve whites
beat yolks until light
add liquid ingredients
add dry ingredients (except egg whites)
mix until smooth
whip egg whites until soft peaks form
fold egg whites into batter

Handmade "Pay It Forward 2012" Challenge

2012-01-29T19:04:00.002-06:00

I'm so excited that I was able to find a place to jump into this challenge over at My Freezer is Full. I was one of the first five people to comment on her blog post, which earned me the privilege of, within the year 2012, making a handmade item to pass on to the first five people to comment on my blog post. If you'd like to find a handmade item in your mailbox sometime in 2012, be one of the first five to leave a comment here accepting the challenge. You, in turn, will accept the challenge to make a handmade item of your choice for the first five people to comment on your blog by the end of 2012.
If you're one of the first five to comment on this post, please use the contact button to leave me your address, and I'll get my fingers busy making something for you! :)

Counting Blessings # 227, and More Homestead Management

2012-01-22T15:09:00.006-06:00

#227) I'm so incredibly thankful today to have married someone who is such a great father. I'm so glad he takes such an interest in his children, guiding them and teaching them. Being a mom is challenging, but it's a lot easier with a dedicated husband and father to lead us all. I don't think I knew enough when I married him at 21 to know what a gem I had. :)

I wanted to share a bit (and I know only a bit) about rotational grazing for livestock. This is a system that is critical to the holistic, natural care of cattle, sheep or goats (I only really have experience with goats), especially on small acreage.
We utilized some rotational grazing in a very simplified way last summer, and hope to use it more efficiently and effectively this grazing (or browsing, as the case may be) season.
The simple form we used last year was to stake the goats out in the yard, keeping a constant eye on them to make sure they didn't get tangled or harassed by wildlife or neighborhood dogs. The staking method we came up with involved movable twist in stakes such as you'd use for a dog run. We used a bungee cord from the stake to the actual rope, giving the goats a gentler stop in case they got scared and began to run (which they often did at first). Thicker cotton rope is the best to use because if a goat gets tangled and panics she won't cut her legs. This could happen very quickly with a cable or nylon rope, and the goat may become injured even if you're keeping close watch.

This coming spring, we plan to use cattle panels to create movable fencing, and have a lightweight shelter for each pen. This will allow the goats to spend more time grazing/browsing in their movable pasture. Without any shelter, goats especially won't feel secure in the pasture. They won't want to spend as much time there. They also need the shade and shelter from even the shortest rain showers. If it rains and goats don't have shelter, they will cry like the Wicked Witch of the West. They seem convinced they'll melt away.
The benefits of rotational grazing include healthier pastures and parasite control. The pastures are healthier because you control how much and what is eaten. The idea is to keep close watch on the condition of the grazing area. See that the animals eat all the browse/pasture down evenly, but not so far down that it causes stress to the pasture plants. First they will eat everything they love, and then they'll be forced to eat the things they don't love (but are still healthful to them). This way, the things they don't like won't take over and choke out those plants the animals like the most. When they've eaten it down sufficiently you move them to a new area.
This also helps control parasites, which are a goat raiser's most prevalent problem, especially if she wants to avoid chemical wormers. Ideally, one area of pasture should only be grazed on once a season. Of course, on 1.5 acres that's not possible. There's a solution, however, that makes it work. The grazing area shouldn't be allowed to be grazed down any lower than about 4 inches, and then the animals moved. The grazed pasture should then be left for about two weeks. The poop that has been left behind in the pasture will contain parasite eggs from the host (cow, sheep, goat). During the two weeks that it is left alone, the parasites will hatch and climb the blades of grass (They can climb about 4 inches, hence the reason you shouldn't let the grass get shorter than that while the animals are grazing on it).
After two weeks, mow the grass. Either use a mulching mower with a bag to collect the trimmings (and parasites), or mow, let it dry and rake it up. This takes care of the majority of the parasites that would have found their way back into the host who grazed on that pasture next. When the pasture has grown out again, you can safely move you animals back onto it. The pasture will be healthier for the good fertilizing it's had, and it will be safe for your animals.
That's the idea, anyway. :) I plan to attempt this system along with an herbal wormer. I will try to keep you posted as to what I learn and how it all goes. I'm just beginning to understand this myself.
I also wanted to point out that having these movable fences makes it easy to allow goats to graze down overgrown areas of your property, and maybe even the neighbors who would like to get rid of an overgrown area. Goats thrive on good quality browse. They will be sleek and shiny, have less parasite problems, and get into real nice condition very quickly on it. They love raspberry, pine, willow, tag elder, wild roses, poplar, thistles, and lots more. They're really good at staying away from things that are bad for them as long as there's plenty of good healthy browse available. They will also graze on pasture if there's no browse available. They like dandelion, trefoil, red and purple clover, lespedeza, and various grasses and lots of other things that I don't know what are. I never paid much attention to "lawn" and "grass" before, so it's been a steep learning curve to understand what little I do.
Some cautions with goats on pasture:
-Avoid putting your goats out to pasture early in the morning when the grass is wet from dew, especially if slugs and snails are a problem in your area. They climb the wet grasses and are ingested by the goats. They are host to liver flukes and lung worms which could infest your animals.
-Any changes to your goats' diet should be made slowly. If you're going to put them on pasture in the spring, or if they aren't used to it, give a feeding of hay in the A.M. first. Start with a short amount of time and build up slowly, until they can tolerate being on pasture all day. It is a good idea to continue a small hay feeding in the morning. This will help to prevent bloat from too much rich green vegetation being compacted in the rumen.
-Provide baking soda free choice so the goats can self regulate the acid level in the rumen. This is important in preventing bloat, especially in a diet high in green grasses and concentrates (grain).

Managing a Diversified Homestead With Little Acreage

2012-01-20T17:25:00.004-06:00

Mama Tea, the farm girl over at A Farmish Kind Of Life posted a few questions on her blog yesterday that gave me an idea for a post. I'm forever feeling that I really don't know much at all, and in the big scheme of things that's probably always going to be true. However, I realized today that there are a few things that I do know, and I should share them. So, Mama Tea (and anyone else who's curious), this is for you.

Homesteading a small piece of property in Northern MN has its challenges. There's a lot less space available to utilize, so it must be utilized well. It does take some thought and foresight. Here's what I can say about how we take these challenges and turn them into benefits.

Manure: when you don't have a lot of space for it, what do you do with it? You could put it to good use by composting it. This is actually very simple. All of the used bedding, manure, kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, garden waste and weeds go into one big pile. The pile has to be kept at a depth and width of about 3 feet or more, enough to heat the pile up good. This kills the seeds that may be present it it. The pile has to be kept wet, and we add as much green matter as we can to it. We end up with basically two piles. We add new materials to one pile, and keep the other pile working until we're ready to use it. It also has to be turned once in a while, but for us the chickens take care of that. They spread it out, and we have to rake it back up. They also eat up a lot of the seeds in it, which helps us to be able to use it sooner. It should only take about six weeks for the pile to cook the seeds and then it's ready to use. It will get as hot as 140 degrees F. It may even steam after a rain or sprinkling with the sprinkler.
When it's ready you can add it directly to the garden. If, like us, your configuration of raw materials contains a lot of straw and hay, it will still contain a lot of straw and hay. That's okay. It will be light and airy, and help to lighten heavier soils.
The way we bed our animal pens doesn't produce as much waste as you might imagine, and we really don't end up with too much. In fact, if you garden, there may not be such a thing as too much. If you do end up with more than you can use, maybe you can advertise it, and sell it or at the least get someone who wants it to come and get it. That's our plan if we do end up with more than we can handle.
Currently on our 1.5 acres we have three goats, 17 chickens and 6 breeding rabbits and the young that there usually are in some stage of growth. We use a deep bedding method for about 6 or 7 months of the year for the chickens and the goats. This means that my goat barn hasn't been "mucked out" for about 4 months now. I know it may be hard to believe, but it doesn't smell bad, and the top of the bedding is dry and clean. This is how it all works.
In the spring, the chicken shed gets a good cleaning out, a sprinkling of DE and fresh bedding spread, but not very much. We muck out the areas that need it on a regular basis to keep it fresh. That's actually not a huge amount, since they are free ranging during the summer. Mostly it means shoveling out under the roosts periodically.
The goats get the same spring cleaning, and then bedding spread only in the corners of their barn. This gives them a cozy place to sleep (and they choose a place to pee in, too). Goats poop nice dry berries that are easily swept up with a broom and dust pan. This I do twice a day, getting the floor nice and clean. An added bonus of this cleaning is that I have nice clean goat berries to side dress plants in my garden. The plants really seem to benefit from this treatment before they begin to flower and set fruit.
The rabbits are in hanging wire cages in the rabbitry. They have straw spread on the floor under their cages. Their treatment never really changes. It gets mucked out when it smells too strongly, and fresh straw put down. This happens more often in the summer than the winter. In the winter when the deep bedding method is being employed, we will take the slightly used bedding from the top of the litter in the goat barn and recycle if for the rabbits so that the goats get a clean, fresh surface.
As it gets cooler, we actually get a break from regular mucking out since we need to get a good layer of bedding and manure accumulating. This actually composts during the winter, helping to heat the animals. To keep the top layer clean for the goats, use a pitch fork to fork up the top layer and shake the berries out, leaving them under the clean top layer. Add new straw as needed to keep the top layer clean and the barn smelling fresh. At first I thought this would never work. I thought that by mid winter there would be feet of straw built up and the goats would be jumping over the gate. However, it seems to break down and compact, and really hasn't built up to a depth of more that 6 or 8 inches, except where they usually pee and poop and where they bed down for the night. I let it build up somewhat more in those areas. It really produces some good heat, and benefits the animals greatly.
Well, this is getting really long already, and I've only talked about manure so far. Next time I'll talk about free ranging chickens and rotational grazing for goats.

goat Business

2012-01-17T13:40:00.002-06:00

I've been busy!
First I was trying to incorporate my goat information onto this blog. Some of you may have noticed the tabs, and maybe had a look?

The tabs are gone now, and it their place I decided to create a new blog for the goats. You can find it HERE.

I had never intended to start a goat "business", but it seems that one comes up with an immediate problem when beginning to keep milk goats. In order to make milk, they must give birth. That creates little goats, anywhere from one to five per doe (thought I hope not more than three per doe).

What to do with all the little cuties? We could just eat them, and I think we will eat some of them. However, when you're breeding for milk production, it seems a waste to eat up all those potential genetics. I feel very excited about a couple of our breedings, sure that they're going to produce some really great kids. What a shame it would be for them not to go to people who could really utilize them for their true purpose.

Therefore, I hope that starting a blog featuring the goats will help people to be able to find them, and allow me to see that some of the best find good new homes where folks like us can use and appreciate them.

If you get a chance to take a peek and check out the pages, please let me know what you think. I'd like to have your input as I develop things. Thanks!
-Patty

Counting Blessings #226 -

2012-01-15T08:29:00.003-06:00

The house is quiet. Everyone's getting a slow start this morning. I'm enjoying a few minutes to try to find words for what I feel when I think about the many ways I'm blessed in this life. I'm praying to be able to hold on to this peace and joy during the week, when things occur that aren't so joyful. While scrubbing the toilet, cleaning up spills, shoveling manure, lugging watter, washing the same dish for the umpteen millionth time (WITH good smelling detergent). I want to be able to smile, and lend peace to every situation, making difficult moments a little better for those I share them with. I want to be a blessing.
The truth is, I'm not always a blessing. I'm sometimes the first to get angry, the first to complain, or the look on my face shows my sour thoughts without a word. I wouldn't want to be around me sometimes. In fact, I've often wished I could walk away from myself, get a break from me.

So,

226) All the family and friends who put up with me while I'm learning to let thankfulness soak in and become a part of the fabric of me, and each time I'm successful at letting it speak louder than my circumstances. God's been working on this are of my life for a long time. I glad, and I hope He's getting closer to completion.

I had a whole list of bessings written, but it was getting long and I decided I wanted to share something significant that happened to me when my children were all quite young and life was hectic, and I WASN'T USUALLY THE LEAST BIT THANKFUL.

I often sit in bed in the morning praying for the strength to get up and do what needs doing all day long without wounding anyone with the negative words that come all too easy.

One morning, I was sitting and just sort of listening, waiting for something amazing. And, low and behold, it happened. This voice in my mind said, "I'll be with you when the milk spills." Well, my response was, "Will there be spilled milk today?" To which the voice said, "Yes." Well, I was sort of thinking that this wasn't too helpful. I got up and dressed, and about 10 minutes later I was getting breakfast for the children, aged newborn, two, five and seven.

I'd forgotten all about the voice of God as he'd spoken to my heart about a very real need in my life. The most basic of needs. Strenght to deal with the thousands of endless wrinkles in the day that we all encounter.

Little Two suddenly slammed her tiny hand down on the table, catching the edge of her bowl and unbelievably sending it into the air to come down on her head. Milk and cereal dripping, running onto the chair and the floor.

I was about to react in my usual resentful, sour, begrudging way, when suddenly I remembered...

"I'll be with you when the milk spills." And you know what? That changes everything. It changes EVERYTHING that God, who has so many more important problems to deal with, chose to tell me that he cares about spilled milk.

I LOVE Him, and apparently, He loves me. He loves me enough to understand that spilled milk can be a very big deal to me. He loves me enough to tell me that He cares about that. Not, "Have a better attitude about silly things like spilled milk," but, "I will be there with you." It's been making a difference in my life for the 7 years following, and slowly I'm learning to trust Him and be thankful. God is good.

Have a blessed Sunday!

A Sandwich Is the Perfect Lunch?

2012-01-09T13:08:00.004-06:00

Hi to all of you wonderful people who keep sticking with me even though I'm having so many computer problems. I am occasionally able to read your blogs, but not often enough. Hopefully one of these days I'll be running full speed again, then I'll have some catching up to do. The main problem I'm having is the old lap top we use when our PC isn't working is so incredibly old and slow that I can't aford to take the time I would need to get on the blog often. It also most of the time just plain won't let me comment at all, either on your blogs or mine. :( But it is keeping me off the computer more, and I'm getting other things done, so that's something to be thankful for for sure. :)

Today I really don't have much time (shouldn't be on here at all), but I wanted a chance to read some of your wonderful posts. I decided to make PBJ's for lunch so I could save some time.

My 8 year old said, "This is the best lunch I've ever had!" If all it takes is two slices of whole wheat bread and a tablespoon of natural organic peanut butter with a very thin spreading of jam, why do I not save time more often? :) It was very cute, but I'm not sure what that says about my normal home cooked lunches?

I also took a minute to change my header. I need a bit of springtime inspiration for garden planning and seed purchasing. I hope to "visit" with you all soon! Happy Monday!

Quick Homestead Diary Update

2012-01-02T22:23:00.003-06:00

Hey Beautiful Blogger Women-

I managed to get some time on a friends computer (Thank you bunches and heaps!), so I'm able to do a quick update on what's going on here.

WIND sums it up pretty well. MUCH wind, and cold. The thermometer says 3 degrees, but it feels like -30 to me. Last night was crazy windy as well. In fact, I had a nightmare about a tornado. Even the cat and dog were restless all night. Why is it that if you have children who are afraid of the dark, as soon as the power goes out they wake up freaked out? Oh, yeah, the power went out too. That part was actually pretty fun for me. :) I like it dark.

The goats are back! :) I'm loving having them back, and wondering if all of them were bred. I dropped them off to be bred on December 1, and Cupcake was in standing heat the day before. Starlight and Japanzy were supposed to be in heat about a week into their time with the bucks. I picked them all up on the 23rd, and found that Cupcake was at the end of her heat. Maybe I should have left them longer, but I hope the 23 days were enough, because I couldn't bear to have them gone longer. That really makes me sound like a crazy goat lady, but I can't help it. It's the real truth. I like my goats. A lot. ;)

They're doing great since coming home, even Starlight seems to be feeling better than she did before and during her stint with the buck. I'm thinking it's going to be a long 4+ months of waiting to see those kids.

The chickens are really picking up in their egg production. They're happy and friendly, crowding around me when I come in to care for them in the morning. Even when they have water that isn't frozen, they all crowd around to peck snow off of my boots. not sure why that is, but they seem to love it. Yesterday we got 10 eggs (out of 16 hens). Not bad for the end of December. I can now sell some eggs, which seriously helps when they're eating so much feed. In fact, I need to put scratch and laying mash on my list. They're going through it pretty fast now.

Well, it's late and I have to force myself outside to drive 20 miles to get home. It's way too cold and windy to be driving. I wasn't prepared for the weather to take this turn. It was 11 degrees, still and sunny when I headed for town this afternoon. Can't wait to curl up in my bed and put my cold feet on my hubby. :)

Hugs!
Patty

We're Alive and Well

2011-12-30T18:28:00.002-06:00

Hi all! I'm super thrilled to be posting, though it's probably a lone post in the middle of a long quiet spell. Computer fixing is on the back, back burner, far behind other important things right now. A few of those other things are getting new tires on the van, fixing the power steering pump on the work truck, and paying the insurance for the house and cars. All important and all way less fun to think about or pay for than so many other things I can think of right now. Such as the lovely stainless steel insulated carafe designed for keeping raw milk in. It would be so much more fun to just go ahead and spend the money on that. But no, I'm being good and responsible. It can wait, along with the computer.

I was eaves dropping on my littlest (6) while I was doing chores yesterday, and I have to share her conversations with the chickens with you all. First she caught her favorite little black hen and brought it into the goat barn. She put some hay into the milking stand feeder and put her little hen in it. I heard, "Please lay an egg. This is the perfect place to lay an egg...oh, you probably won't lay one until tomorrow." Then, "You need a beautiful name, like...Olivia. Do you like Olivia? Okay, you're Olivia." A bit later we went to care for the chickens. I let Six scatter the scratch around. I got to hear, "Olivia, don't do that. Come here, Vanilla. Yellow Hen, come down here. Don't be afraid. They're nice. Okay, be nice. Here's some for you." I really don't think she's going to find a lot of success as a peace keeper for the hens, but it sure is sweet to listen to her. :)
Happy New Years, everyone!

New Experiences

2011-12-21T11:56:00.003-06:00

Our family has been having some new experiences lately! One of them is sort of controvercial, but it has been interesting, and is really what we're up to, so on the blog it goes.
We have some good family friends who are trappers. Their children are mostly grown now, and moving on to their adult lives. I think Mr. Trapper misses having young children to teach and pass on his experiences and knowledge to. He took an interest in teaching our children some of his skills, and before we knew it the children were involved it running a muskrat trap line with him.
This has meant that we as their parents have gotten involved as well. Yesterday I got to be the chaperone as my young ones checked and reset traps. It was really very interesting how it all works. I wish I had pictures, but we forgot the camera, and the computer troubles we're having are making our internet connection operate so slowly I feel like we have dial-up again. Ugh!
Muscrats live in little houses much like beaver lodges, but smaller and made out of balled up grasses that they wet and stick together, some small sticks and mud. The bigger the house, the more rats live in it. To set the traps, the trapper makes a hole in the top. The tunnel from under water into the house is found, and the trap is placed in the doorway. It is connected to a wire that anchors it outside the house.
When the trap is in place, grasses are dampened and placed over the hole, and then covered with snow to keep the water inside from freezing. To check the traps, the snow and grass are removed from the hole (this can take a while as it is frozen in place), the trap is pulled up and checked, and reset.
In the past few days, Mr. Trapper and the children have gotten two muskrats. If a person is interested in working with the fur (as my children are), it takes one pelt sold to get the money to have one pelt tanned to keep. One of my children has a muskrat hat made by Mr. Trapper and one of his daughter trappers. It looks much like beaver, and is lovely, soft and warm.
I had fun taking my children out to check the traps. I was reminded of a book I'd read once about a woman who lived in the Alaskan wilderness with her trapper husband. She had a baby out there, and they passed a winter out there alone. They couldn't find any game and very nearly starved before they were able to get out. By the time they got help they were quite ill with scurvy.
For one afternoon, I felt like a strong, brave pioneer trapper in the wilderness. It was pretty exciting, I must say. :)

In other news, as we approached the shortest day of the year, the chickens have picked up in their egg laying. This seems to happen often for us, and I love it. Just when we expect to go eggless for months, having a lovely surprise of five eggs in the nest boxes is so nice, and the morning afer the solstice, too!

I'm planning to pick up my does from the breeder on Friday afternoon, and I can't wait! I'm so excited to have them back home, and even more so by some extenuating circumstances that I don't feel right about sharing here. Suffice it to say, I'm a bit extra concerned about their wellfare right now, as well as that of the dear woman caring for them who has recently become a real friend.
I have stopped in to see them a couple of times, and they look pretty good, except for Starlight. She's never been what I'd call thrifty, and now is no exception to that. She has some upper respitory stuff going on that is worrying me. I really want her back so I can give her some extra TLC. I'm really unsure how things are going to develop for her, and only hope that she makes it through pregnancy and kidding without too much dificulty.
By the way, that extra TLC is going to be hard to give, as my girls are STINKY! I don't know how the buck stink will ever wear off. I pray that I get two nice bucklings, one by each of the two bucks involved in these breedings. If I do, then I will be able to have a closed herd after this for a long time, and no more pen breedings. That's my ultimate goal now. I used to think this traveling and pen breeding would be a yearly occurence, but I've now come to ralize that it causes a lot of stress to myself and my does. I don't want to have to do this agian.

I want to wish you all a wonderful Christmas and New year, as I may not be back for a while. I just can't take the time to post or read blogs with my PC and laptop both acting up so badly. I really miss reading all of your posts, and can't wait to catch up a bit. :)

Many blessing to you all in the New Year!
-Patty

Reward Time and Crafting Space

2011-12-13T18:35:00.006-06:00

Because I don't have any dirty dishes or dirty laundry in my house right now, and I didn't even have to toss them outside to be able to say that, I am rewarding myself with some time to post. Oh, happy, happy day! Maybe you can tell by my reaction to being so stellar in the housekeeping department today that it doesn't often happen. I have the best of intentions for keeping up on things, but they seem to fall by the wayside every time. I would so LOVE it if this time I managed long term success in the dish and laundry department.

Anyhoo, it light of the fact that there's nothing pressing right now, and I've a child stewing it the tub so I can't go far, I have a moment to sit here. I'm finally making a small attempt to show and tell about how I find space to sew/craft here on North Forest Farm. There's been quite a bit of the like happening here lately with Christmas just around the corner, but do you think I actually took a picture when I had things out? No siree! That would be just too darn organized and practical for me.
Here's the table where we "do school", craft, sew, scrapbook, etc. We used to just use the dining room table; all of our books fighting for space with the sewing machine and various sundry cups, plates and flatware. It wasn't a pretty sight, and also kind of messy. Garments stained before they're ever worn, that's just...

Anyhoo, do you see in this picture hubby's stereo tucked into the corner? Yeah, he doesn't like that at all. You see, he wants to actually be able to use it. Go figure. He's really threatening to get rid of MY table. I don't like that. I guess we're at an impasse. Really, I think I could solve the problem with a bit of work. I could actually keep the table top clean, and fold the table up when we're not using it. Maybe, but...

Alrighty, then. Here's what's been happening while I've had the machine out these last few days:

First ever quilted anything. I'm giving some quilted pot holders as gifts this year. I'm pretty happy with my first attempt so far. I think I'll have to either put some ties in or do some stitching so they don't fall apart in the wash.

I also made five of these little stockings (now filled with M&M's) for our family gift exchange. We exchange the names of the children in the family and make homemade gifts for them.

I really don't have anything amazing to say about where I store things when they're not in use. The unglamorous truth is that they're mostly stuffed into plastic bags in the closet, and sometimes I can't find them again when I need them. Okay, OFTEN I can't find them again. The finding usually takes longer than the crafting. :/ Can anyone say organizationally challenged?

Tiny Roo and New Hens

2011-12-09T16:39:00.005-06:00

...spare roosters too.

Here's the tiny little guy. I wish I'd had someone hold him while I took this pic. He can't be more than 9 or 10 inches tall. He came with his own little hens, too. I don't know yet what kind they are.

Besides the four little black bantam hens, there are these three new girls hiding under the nest boxes. I'm not sure what these are yet either.

And then there are these guys. Isn't that one guy gorgeous? I think he's a dorking, but I can't remember for sure if that's correct. I would LOVE to keep him just for his looks, but unfortunately he has to go. He and his cronies beat our beloved brahma bantam up pretty badly, so they can't stay. There are four or these roosters, lovely as can be, now residing in my goat barn. It will be hard to butcher this beautiful boy if nobody will take him. They all seem nice (to people) so far.

We ended up with these when some friends of ours decided they didn't want to keep chickens any more as they wished to travel more now that their children were grown.

I'm Back!

2011-12-08T12:18:00.003-06:00

Hey all, I'm back online. :) I grounded myself in order to prepare for a trip, and then take that trip and visit with my sister and her family. We had an absolute blast playing together for five days, and now it's time to clean up the mess we brought home with us. I'm rested up and ready to dive in, but had to take care of a little business first.
I've recently began the process of getting all set up to get my goats registered in my name, with a herd name. Of course I'd wanted to get something that had Tanglewoods in it. Apparently that's pretty popular, because no variation I could think of was available to me. We had to choose a new name for the "herd". My eldest daughter came up with North Forest Farm, and that passed. So, our new homestead name/herd name is North Forest Farm. My husband and eldest daughter are happy. They never thought Tanglewoods Homestead "fit" anyway. So, here we are with 1.5 acres we're now calling a farm. :) I can't wait to see what else this homestead adventure brings.
I also can't wait to slowly catch up on all of your blog posts as soon as I get a chunk of time to myself. I sure hope you've all had a lovely week.
Hugs!

P.S. Next post, I'll introduce you to the little additions to our laying flock, including the tiniest little roo I think I've ever seen.

Goat Meet and Greet

2011-12-02T08:35:00.003-06:00

Yesterday's goat meet and greet went quite well. Actually, the most hectic part for me happened before we even left home. The breeder decided that it would be best if I gave a course of antibiotics to my does so we didn't end up spreading "shipping fever" between our animals. Shipping fever is sort of a generic term for something that commonly happens when goats are transported to new places. They can get stressed and then their immune systems get depressed. If that happens, then any germs hanging around can quickly cause an illness.
So, I gave them each a shot of penicillin and gathered up supplies to send with them. Then I gave them some hay so they could eat for a while while I got kennels loaded up.
It turns out they've all grown since I got them. I started by trying to cram Cupcake into a kennel she used to fit in. She said, "NO!", and that was that. So, we decided that Panzy could just ride in the van like a family pet, and prayed she wouldn't pee. All good, no accidents.
The meeting went fairly well, with no major trouble between any of the does. However, I don't know when any of them will get a chance to eat or drink, with the bucks hot on their heels all the time.
A am still a bit nervous...God bless them, please.

The following is the only picture I took. This is Panzy and Maxwell. The others were inside the barn, and it was pretty dark in there, so no pics.

I'm grounding myself from my computer for a while now, so I'll see you when my grounding is over (probably by Friday). Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

For Sure, Most Likely...

2011-11-30T11:17:00.003-06:00

My comment last night to CR:

Hi CR-
They're only going about 30 miles from me. I think they'll just be there for three weeks. That should cover at least one heat period for each of them. Not having bucks around, it's hard to catch the heats, but I think I've observed at least a couple in succession for each doe, and they're about 18 days apart at the most (I think). Right now I think I have two does just finishing a heat and one about to start, so I could start getting babies by the last days of April. I'm super excited! :)

...and this AM my doe who was going into heat is already in standing heat, I'm pretty sure. If it doesn't last until tomorrow afternoon, I guess she'll be there for sure until her next cycle. That's kind of a bummer, because they most likely will be gone for three weeks. I was hopeful that even though I am planning for three weeks, it would take less. But, I won't be pushing it as much as far as the weather is concerned. If her heat doesn't last, then for sure no kids in April.

I keep wanting to say "for sure, most likely". Now, that shouldn't make any sense, but it does if you're doing any kind of gardening of farming. There is definitely a, "for sure, most likely" and a "for sure, most likely, not".

Homestead Diary November 29, 2011

2011-11-29T16:18:00.002-06:00

Update on bunnies: We still have one bunny that hasn't opened one of its eyes, and it really doesn't look like it's going to. This is just the strangest thing. It seems happy and healthy though, and at least has one eye to use.

Today I began my final preparations for the goats to go visit the bucks. I'll be bringing them Thursday afternoon. Last week I trimmed hooves. Starting today I'm making sure to offer them a lot of minerals since I've been sort of hoarding them because I was running low. I'm also giving them an immune support tincture to hopefully help their immune systems thrive through the stress of traveling to a new farm and meeting a new herd. They had their weekly wormer today, and a treat of some apples from our tree that are beginning to shrivel.

On a more personal note, I'm a bit (well, a lot, really) nervous about this whole process, and I'm also really going to miss the girls while they're gone. I can't wait to have them all settled and back home.
I hope to get some pics of the "meet and greet" to post here.

Counting Blessings #209 - 225

2011-11-27T15:15:00.005-06:00

209)holidays

210)cookies

211)pot lucks

212)pets

213)healthy family members and animals

214)new friends

215)old friends

216)blog friends

217)my whole family in one room at the same time

218)good books

219)Tales from the Green Valley(Thank you, Quinn, for sharing this with us.)

220)fresh bread (but not as much when I forget the salt as I did yesterday)

221)homemade granola for breakfast

222)fresh eggs

223)husband who did dishes today :)Thank you!

224)earl grey tea when trying to stop drinking coffee so much

225)Timothy the vole, my daughters' newest "pet" :/ Well, sort of thankful. ;)

Waiting for the Butter to Turn

2011-11-25T12:48:00.005-06:00

I'm just sitting here waiting for the butter to turn, so thought I'd post quick. I've been making some of our butter for a while now, from raw cream from our local diary. For some reason I don't like the butter they make there. I know a lot of folks who use it, so I think it's purely personal. Any way, to me it has a sour taste that I don't like. Therefore, buying the cream and making it myself is working for us. The bonus is that I have buttermilk to use after I've make the butter. :) I usually buy a quart of cream from which I get a pound of butter and a pint of buttermilk.
How it works:
I pour the cold cream into my Kitchenaid, put on the whisk and the pouring sheild, then crank it up to speed 5. I then just go about my business nearby until I hear the sloshing sound of the buttermilk with the butter floating in it (about 10 minutes), going back once and scraping down the cream while it's "churning". When the butter turns, I strain the buttermilk off into a pint jar, and then it's time to wash the butter.
If you don't wash it well it gets a sour taste from the buttermilk that's left in it. To wash it, I use a flat paddle like spoon to knead the butter as I run ice cold water over it. I do this in the Kitchenaid bowl. When the water runs clear, the butter is rinsed well. I then salt it with about 1/2 t. salt, kneading it in well, shape it into a long rectangle, and slice it into about 5 smaller pieces. I like it in small pieces so that I can have one out and soft and use it up before it goes bad.
So far, the butter I make gets used mostly for toast and other "table" use. I wish I could afford to make all of our butter, but for now I'm not. Perhaps when I'm getting milk from the goats I can buy more cream for making butter.

November 25 - The goats ALL seem happy and healthy today, so I'm thrilled with that. I did their weekly wormer today, and trimmed hooves. I think the girls are all ready to go meet the bucks next week.

We've found that we've had a strange thing happen with our last batch of bunnies. Two of them seem to have a problem with their eyes. They aren't opening them as soon as they should. We're actually questioning whether or not one of them has eyes at all. What a strange thing to have happen! They don't seem bothered by the fact that they're essentially blind. They're hopping and exploring just like their sighted brothers and sisters, and perfectly chubby, just as they should be. However, they're only just over two weeks old. I question what will happen when they get closer to weaning age. Will they be able to find food and water? If they can and they continue to keep up with the others, there's no reason for us to kill them I guess. In the many, many batches of baby bunnies I've raised in my life this is the first time I've ever seen something like this happen.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

2011-11-24T07:00:00.001-06:00

For snowy days, cozy fires, close friends and family, good food, games, hugs and smiles, and for Your sustaining hand, we give thanks to You our God.

Homestead Diary November 18 - 23, 2011

2011-11-23T12:57:00.004-06:00

I'm now busy working on Christmas gifts. I'm making some quilted Christmas stockings for the family gift exchange. It only took me four tries to figure out how to sew the pieces so everything came out right. Just having a pattern to follow could save me so much trouble sometimes! Also making granola and pumpkin pie filling today. As I've learned from a dear friend, pumpkin pies really do turn out much tastier if the filling ingredients have a chance to meld for a while before being baked into pies.

Here's what's been happening with the critters around here this past week. Some fun and exciting, some more discouraging.

November 18 - When I went out to do chores this A.M. Starlight was coughing more than usual (I say more than usual, since she's been sensitive since I got her, coughing/choking on occasion. The other girls never catch anything from her, and she seems to be fine other than that). I gave her some immune support tincture from Molly's Herbals.
Gave weekly wormer to all today.

Still getting an egg a day from the new hens. Hoping some more will begin laying soon.

Bunnies are opening their eyes and are so unbelievably cute! I'm glad they happen to be at the cutest age (2 to 3 weeks) for my parents visit. My mom just loves them at this age.

November 20 - Mom went out with me to do chores this A.M. Had fun seeing the chickens, bunnies (especially bunnies), and goats.
Water is beginning to freeze at night now, so hauling much more than usual.

November 21 - Did fecals. All clear, so that's great! New microscope works great! Will do them again when I bring the girls home from the breeder.

November 20 - 23: Starlight still seems under the weather. Giving her Immune Support tincture. She sneezes once in a while too. I don't like this at all, and I wish I had a good working relationship with a vet (one experienced with goats) who was closer to me than a 3 hr. one way drive. Thankfully she's still eating fine. I hope she pulls out of this soon as there are only about 7 days until they are supposed to go to the breeder. I'm going to make a phone call today (23rd) to the breeder she came from. Hopefully she can advise me what I should do. She's a vet tech. and taught me how to give injections, and draw blood for testing for disease or pregnancy. I'm thrilled that should I ever want/need to do any of this I can take care of it by myself.

Apron Sew-off and Learning To Use a Pattern

2011-11-21T00:00:00.000-06:00

Thank you ever so much, Susan at e-i-e-i-omg! for hosting this little apron sew-off. It really helped kick me into gear. I've been trying to get to this project for a long time, but have been a bit intimidated because though I sew things (p.j. pants, curtains, pillow covers, reusable feminine products, a shirt that Molly(13) designed, etc.) I haven't ventured into pattern use. I've wanted to for ever so long, because I want to be able to make anything I want to, not being limited to what I can figure out or dream
up on my own. Sometimes it's nice to know how to do things the "right" way. So any way, I wanted to begin teaching myself to use patterns. I chose this one because it said it was easy. Really, it did turn out to be pretty easy, but the one mistake I made could have been disastrous. This was a reversible apron pattern. Almost every piece said cut two. So, folding the fabric in half so as to have two layers, I pinned all the pieces and cut two. It was a good thing I had enough fabric because I was supposed to cut one of each fabric, not two of each. What I now have are two matching aprons! Well, that's okay! I can handle that kind of mistake. :)

If you'd like to read about all the other apron stitcher's projects, visit Susan's blog. She'll be linking to all of them. I can't wait to see what everyone else has created! This bunch or women are sure to have come up with some outstanding aprons. They're a pretty amazing bunch of gals!

shirt designed by Molly for which I made pattern pieces from butcher wrap and sewed

Computer Troubles

2011-11-19T11:33:00.002-06:00

Hey all-

I've tried to post about my computer having problems so many (wasted) times, so now I'm keeping it short.
Computer not working.
Can blog, but don't have time and sometimes it doesn't work.
Can't leave comments.
Wish I could, since you're all so awesome.
Hugs to all of you!
Busy this weekend with family, so I'll see you all on Monday, maybe (depends of computer issues being resolved, or not).

Hugs!
-Patty

Microscope Fun

2011-11-17T19:41:00.001-06:00

Wow! Am I ever impressed! I never would have thought that I could get a microscope this solidly built and beautifully working for such a price. If anyone you know is interested in getting a microscope for homeschool or farm use, or whatever, this one is great. I got this here.
I was actually able to put my camera up to the eyepiece of the microscope and take pictures of what we were seeing.

Here we have frog blood cells,

pollen,

and protozoa.

This has been so much fun for my family, and now I can't wait to get a fecal sample to look at. If there's something to see, I know I'll see it with this little gem!

Homestead Diary November 14 - 15

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

11/14/11 - No more clumpy poops for Cupcake, and all seems well.

11/15/11 - Heard back from Molly @ Molly's Herbals. She says the clumpy poop is a sign that the herbal wormer is doing its job. Glad to hear it.
Cupcake showing signs of heat today. For some reason, whenever she's in heat she gets bullied by the other does more, so I can usually tell when it is.
First real snow of winter is falling now. Kids having fun tonight with snowballs.
Learned today that birdsfoot trefoil is high in concentrated tannins, making it a good natural wormer for barber pole worms. Happy because we have plenty of it for them in the summer, and they graze it fairly well after the dandelions slow down.
Raised bed is finished and ready for mulching. Big garden still needs more mulch. If this turns out to be the snow that stays maybe it won't get done this year.

I seem to be over the slump I was having this fall. I'm so glad! I wonder what happened to so many of us this fall? Any way, I'm back to being productive again, at least a little (when blog reading and writing don't distract me too much). I've finished my apron in time for Susan's apron sew off over at e-i-e-i-omg!. I'm really excited to see everyone's project, and the project really got me going on the sewing path. Can't wait to make something else!
The rest of this week I'll be spending all of my spare minutes cleaning for a visit from my parents over the weekend. I'm really looking forward to having some time with them. Well, I guess that's it for now.

Fecal Floatation: Should I Do This At Home?

2011-11-15T09:15:00.003-06:00

There are some advantages to learning to do your own fecals on your animals at home. It could potentially save you quite a bit of money. If it typically costs you $25 to take a sample to the vet for testing, you could pay for the equipment you need to do it yourself in the first four uses. Another good reason is that you can keep better track of what's going on with each animal. Because it's essentially free for you do do it yourself and you won't have to make any special trips, you can do fecals as often as needed on as many animals as needed.
Doing separate fecals on each animal will give you better information on who needs treatment and who doesn't. Usually not all animals will carry a heavy worm load, but you may have one or two animals with a lower resistance who are troubled more often than the others.
If you, like me, don't have a vet nearby who is well acquainted with goat medicine, it may be an especially good idea. For me to rely on a vet for a proper worm identification and proper knowledge of wormer use and dosages, I would have to get my samples and drive three hours to the nearest vet I've found who claims to at least "like" goats, and has some experience with treating them.
Not all vets know that almost all goats will have at least a couple of worm eggs in their sample, but this won't usually cause the goat any trouble at all. If this were the case with your vet, you would almost certainly end up overusing chemical wormers, which would lead to resistance to them on your farm. Once that occurs, you will really be up a creek without a paddle.
If you're the one doing the fecals, you get to decide how many eggs is too many. You'll become familiar with each goat in your herd and what is normal for them. This will help you spot any real problems that will call for treatment.
If you're feeling unsure of whether or not you're spotting the eggs in the sample, or if you are identifying them properly, perhaps you can find someone who can be relied upon to double check your results. Once you gain confidence in your ability, you will be able to stay on top of what is often the most difficult part of managing a healthy herd.
Here's the place I learned about doing fecals.
There's a link on the site for the microscope I purchased (about $85 with the shipping added on from Amazon).

Happy poop checkin'! :)

Homestead Diary, November 10 - 13

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

11/10/11 - Recd. herbal wormer in mail today and began using it. I first tried easy and sprinkled it on their food. No go, of course.

11/11/11 - New tactic with herbal wormer. I mixed it with water and sucked it up into a syringe, and drenched them. Messy but effective, though Japanzy (my problem child) is still pouting and glaring.

Sam found the first batch of chicken eggs from our new girls in a window well this morning. Wahoo! There were four. Going to look for some wooden eggs for the nest boxes while running errands. Thinking about just locking the girls in the coop until they begin using the boxes, but that will make for a very lonely little renegade hen. We have one out of three Silver Spangled Hamburgs left, but like the others she refuses to go into the coop at night. She will, however, sneak in during the day to eat and drink.

11/12/11 - 3rd try at finding a dosage method for the wormer. Mixed powdered herbs with a bit of rolled oats and added molasses until I had "crumbles". They ate it all up. Nice, pleasant experience that I will be repeating tomorrow. Ordered new microscope for us to use. Can't wait to let the kids look at some stuff, and will be using it to do fecals next weekend if it comes in time. Perfect science experiment for the kids.
Couldn't find wooden eggs (or any other) in town, so purchased some air dry modeling compound and made eggs from that. When dry will put in nest boxes. Still getting eggs in the window well. :)

11/13/11 - got the rest of the hay last night. 15 more bales of timothy/orchard mix. It's beautiful, and I feel spoiled by it. I'm sure the goats will agree wholeheartedly if they ever have to eat anything else again.
Fed the final dose of wormer today. I wish that I'd taken the time to do or get done fecals first, because I've realized that I won't have a real way to see if it has done anything. However, since I'm hoping to have them in good shape as they head off to be bred (they'll be away for the month of December having a long date with a couple of handsome bucks), I felt it was best to try it now.
The wormer seems to have given Cupcake clumpy poop, so I'm watching to see if that goes away. We've never had that before and it showed up after the second dose. However, the other girls are fine.
It's been such a gorgeous day today that I had to find reasons to stay outside. Got the hay stacked in the barn, cleaned the goat room, swept up straw and hay off of the floor and put it in the chicken coop, let the kids cuddle the newest bunnies who opened their eyes within the last 24 hrs., hunted for hiding places for eggs but didn't find any.

And the Winner is...

2011-11-13T11:58:00.003-06:00

Congratulations!

I've added a contact button near the top of the blog where you can click to leave me your address. I'll get it out to you as soon as I can!

Thanks everyone else who posted a comment. I think you're all winners, and you all bless me with your own blogs and your comments on mine.

I hope you're all having a wonderful day!

200th Post GIVEAWAY!

2011-11-09T16:35:00.007-06:00

YAY!! It's finally time! And without further ado, here it is!

Click here to go to the blog for Homegrown and Handmade to find out more about this great book, and the wonderful woman who wrote it. You can also look at the blogs I follow and find Antiquity Oaks, another blog Deborah writes.

Ummm...this is sort of sounding like an advertisement, but it's not. Deborah doesn't even know me, or that I'm writing this post.

I have, however, found Deborah to be a very knowledgeable and practical person. She's got some wonderful down to earth homesteading know how to share with us all on her blogs, and most especially in her book. In her book are chapters on gardening and using your produce, raising animals for milk, meat and fiber, and using your milk, meat, and fiber. The animals she and her family raise (or have raised) are chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, angora rabbits, Dexter cows, pigs, goats, Shetland sheep, lamas and alpacas. I think that covers it, but I'm not positive. Her book is an excellent reference for lots of great information, and would be equally at home in the kitchen with your cookbooks. There are wonderful recipes for dairy products, canned goods, bread and soaps. I'm especially interested in the soap recipes right now, since I'm planning to learn that craft as soon as I have milk to make goats milk soap.

So, if you'd like this book, please leave me a comment to let me know. I'll get your name in the pot. :) I'm going to give you all until Sunday, November 12th (while I take some time off of blogging). I'll be back on Sunday afternoon to get all of the names, add them to the pot, and draw a winner (though you're all winners to me).

Herbal Wormers for Goats?

2011-11-08T14:38:00.002-06:00

As any of you who've been reading my homestead diary posts can probably tell, I have been in a quandary over worming for a while now; yes, no, chemical, natural? My brain has been tied in knots over this. I've decided to follow my gut, and try herbal first. I'm learning how to make a flotation solution and do my own fecal exams. My solution is in the works now, and I hope my microscope has the capability it needs for me to see what might be lurking. I've ordered the herbal wormers from Molly's Herbals. I've heard good and bad things about these, so I'm unsure what I'll discover. I only know that I want organic, and organic I won't have with a chemical wormer. I also don't want to throw out milk because there are chemicals in it. That would be very discouraging for me. So, I'll keep you posted, and as always, feel free to add your two cents (or more!) so that I can learn from your experience.
I hope you're all having a beautiful week! :)

Deer Hunting

2011-11-06T10:08:00.003-06:00

Deer hunting season began yesterday morning. I must admit that I had mixed feelings because deer hunting is work. I know that sounds bad, like I just want to get out of work or something, but...I'm tired, really. I'm just feeling tired lately, and fitting deer processing into the schedule is difficult right now, but seeing Dan come home with this little beauty is exciting nonetheless. And seeing Dan enjoying himself is pretty nice. He got this guy at about 11:00 AM yesterday. It's a young buck, but heavy and well fattened. This guy was ready for winter!

Dan is done hunting now, but taking out M and S at separate times to try their hand at the hunt. What if they each actually bag a deer? Oh, my! I hope that as we get experience at processing deer it will seem much less intimidating!

Today, I'm limiting my list of blessings to five:

- full freezer
- new bunnies (The second and last batch of fall born this morning. I haven't counted them yet.)
- unseasonably warm weather
- donation day at the playhouse :) (2:00 P.M. if anyone's interested in the Rockin' Tale of Snow White)
- Molly and Dan getting time together today

Giveaway Update and Homestead Diary Update

2011-11-05T13:47:00.003-05:00

10/28/11 Trimmed Starlight and Japanzy's hooves. Need to do Cupcake's before long. Also need to make fecal float solution and do fecals on all.
Chickens turn 20 weeks today.
Bunnies due this weekend.

10/29/11 Things to do, questions to research:
- when to vaccinate, what do do when in prep for breeding and kidding
- find goat minerals
- mulch over gardens

10/30/11 Some answers to questions yesterday:
Before breeding; Do fecals, worming if necessary, and recheck fecals
Pre-natal; CD/T vaccination, Check into whether or not BoSe is necessary for our area. Some say to deworm within 48 hrs. of delivery and at 10 days deworm kids too? I need to research more and decide how I want to handle parasite management before I have to make that decision. CD/T kids at 4, 8 and 12 weeks.

To do: Get new raised bed space tilled, black dirt and compost added, and mulched. Finish mulching big garden. Research need for copper (COWP?) in our area. Make a list of kidding supplies to begin assembling. So far, I have;
-clean towels
-7% iodine
-Dixie cups (navel dipping)
-long surgical gloves (that hopefully will remain unopened)
-OB lube
-baby bottle
-baby ear/nose syringe
-propylene glycol
-penicillin, needles, syringes
-electrolyte solution
-tube feeding syringes
-heating pad/heat lamp
-short, shallow pail for watering after birth
-trash bags
-lactated ringers

Other ideas, anyone?

11/2/11 Goats still eating minerals more than I think they should. Decided to feed concentrates with 25 ppm copper with the BOSS and see how it goes.

11/5/11 Situation seems to be stabilizing with the goats. They are now eating the BOSS and chow and leaving the minerals behind, so I think that whatever got out of whack is back to normal. Here's hoping!

Forgot to note bunnies born on November 1st. Only two this batch, but fall breeding can be tricky with rabbits unless you have a light source to give more hours of daylight. I feel these rabbit mamas deserve a break over the winter any way, though some say it makes them fat and harder to breed. Waiting to see if the other doe kindles. She's due right now, if the breeding took. She acts as though she's thinking about making a nest, so perhaps.

GIVEAWAY!!!!!!
Okay, are ya still with me? :) The fun, not so boring, part is here! I finally received the give away item for my 200th blog post. I'm really happy with mine (I got two, one for the lucky winner, and one for me).

Here's a clue: It's very "homesteady", and perfect for a cozy fireside evening this winter. One more? It was created by a fellow blogger whom I follow.

Only three more posts until I tell you what it is! :)

Too Many Cooks Spoil the Soup?

2011-11-01T13:03:00.004-05:00

That may be true, but I know one more thing that can spoil soup...

Yesterday evening before I left for a meeting, I whipped up a quick batch of soup for my family's supper. I left it resting on the back of the stove so they could eat it after they got home from pestering all of our friends and neighbors for candy.

I didn't have much time, so opted to use some of my canned goods to whip up something quick. Now, as I tell you what I put in, all of you home preservers will easily be able to see how much work went into this one pot of soup.

1 qt. home canned chicken broth
1 qt. home canned rabbit meat and broth
1 qt. home grown canned carrots
1 pt. home grown canned green beans
store bought noodles

When I was putting this together, I remember thinking to myself, "Boy, it's really hard to use all these jars of canned goods at once. A lot of work went into this. It sure is nice how all this work has made me really not take food for granted, and we've gotten so much better at not wasting things. This is really a gift from God!"

Well, my meeting went very late. I got home at around 11:30, finished a few little tasks, shut all the lights out and went to bed. This morning I got up and went to the kitchen...to find the soup sitting out on the stove top. This actually made me cry. Yep, I truly had to go back to my bed and shed tears and say prayers over soup. After a couple of minutes I went back to loading the dish washer. My family was truly apologetic, and hubby said he felt like an "epic failure". Well, of course I was glad he was sorry, but he's SO FAR from "epic failure" status. Of course I forgave him immediately...then trudged out to the chickens and told them they'd better appreciate their breakfast soup.

Boo!

2011-10-31T07:00:00.002-05:00

Counting Blessings #195 - 208

2011-10-30T14:25:00.004-05:00

This week I've been so thankful to God for...

195) my kids. They've been so much fun lately!

196) plenty of work for Dan in his business.

197) Dan's physical health and protection while doing this hard work.

198) Life; life itself is so amazing sometimes.

199) wood heat; I love heating with wood. It's so warm and cozy in here! And it smells good outside too.

200) day of rest - so I can start sewing my apron together! :)

201) carving pumpkins and pumpkin seeds.

202) books, books and more books.

203) the joy of finding things to be thankful for. It enriches my life so much, and I think the lives of those close to me. It must, because it helps me to be more positive, and a positive person is so much easier to be around!

204) the changing landscape. It seems kind of funny to be, considering how I may feel about it in February, but right now I'm enjoying the leafless trees. It's fun being able to see farther into the wooded areas. I've been noticing the birds flitting around in there, eating little mysterious bits.

205) quiet; it is so blessedly quiet in this house right now. The kids are all reading or quietly playing, the cat and dog at rest.

206) Dog and cat. I am sometimes unhappy with the messes they make, but they are, after all, a part of the family. They bring us lots of laughs and joy and are wonderful confidants for children who need an impartial friend.

207) sun. Beautiful, sweet sun!

208) applesauce, warm with cinnamon. Yummy!

Thank you, Creator and Sustainer of all!

Goat Saga Continues

2011-10-27T12:37:00.002-05:00

Last night I gave the girls about 1/4 c. minerals, and decided to mix in 3t. DE for parasite control. Little Cupcake (lowest in the herd and usually pushed around by all)edged everyone else out and ate pretty much all of that in 10 mn. What is up?? I thought maybe selenium deficient, so gave about 1/4 c. sunflower seeds to each. Someone said maybe zinc, since they were on the alfalfa and that has a lot of calcium which may have interfered with the zinc absorption.

I added more DE to the feeder, sans minerals, and it was gone this A.M.

For now, I will give each their minerals w/ sunflower seeds on the milk stand in the evening.

The more I learn the less I know...

Also running very low on minerals. Will have to find a way to get more.

Future Giveaway! and Homestead Diary?

2011-10-26T13:23:00.008-05:00

I've decided I'd really like to have a give away. Actually, I've wanted to do it forever, just have failed in the planning department. So, now I'm planning. I know exactly what I want to give away, but I'm going to keep it a secret until post number 200. That way I can celebrate reaching number 200. :) Seven more posts to go, and we'll be there...

I've also known for some time that I really need to keep a homestead diary. I don't know why I haven't done that yet, because it really is necessary to write down what I do when and how it works. There's no use in forgetting what works well, or repeating what was disastrous, is there?
I haven't decided whether I'm going to use this blog as a more extensive farm diary, or write in an actual book, or what. What do you all think? Would you be interested, or is this B-O-R-I-N-G?

I have some things to put into that diary now, so I'll share them here for today. Give me some feedback if you'd like. :)

Regarding goats:
September 29:. New hay: 25 bales timothy/orchard grass ($4.75/ea.) and 15 bales alfalfa($8.75 ea.). $263 HAPPY HAPPY GOATS!

October 15: I notice the goats are eating minerals like candy. They've never paid much attention to the minerals up to this point. I would have to throw them out and put fresh minerals in the feeder for them before. Now they will eat a 1/2 c. in a day. I wonder, is it because they don't have fresh browse and pasture any more? Is the hay somehow different than the old hay was? This new hay appears to be SO MUCH better quality, and they eat it so much better than the old stuff I had. Which mineral might they somehow be deficient in that they are doing this?

The happy goats were not necessarily healthy goats. I was overfeeding the goats on this very nice alfalfa hay. BEFORE: I was giving the three of them (all dry does) about a 4 inch flake of alfalfa in the morning, and twice that of the timothy/orchard grass mix in the evening. They were getting minerals (Mama Pro Goat Mineral) free choice and baking soda free choice. Had started eating a TON of minerals for some reason. This is the same way I was feeding them with the old alfalfa and timothy, but the hay quality was poor, and they wasted a lot. They were nowhere close to fat on that hay and had been eating it for 4 months.

October 21: I weaned them off of the alfalfa hay. They are now getting a section of timothy/orchard grass hay in the morning and another in the late afternoon, and free choice minerals and baking soda. So far, so good. Now to watch and see what happens. May need to watch Cupcake to make sure this is enough for her. Watch for some weight loss in Starlight and Japanzy. Still eating minerals like crazy. Japanzy and Starlight in heat.

October 26: Still eating minerals like crazy. I've started to put about 1/2 c. in the feeder every other day. Always gone by the next day. According to Mama Pro, the target amount to feed is 1/4 to 1/2 oz. per goat per day. I'm going to have to find out what that translates to in some kind of dry measure. I really need a kitchen scale...

Okay, all of that was in my head. No wonder I can't remember to drink water. It's cluttered up there! I feel better already. So, what do you think? Should I find a different place for this kind of information, or could it be helpful or interesting to any of you? And, if anyone out there had experience with any of the questions I'm running into and wants to chime in with some advice, feel free! I could use it. ;)

Counting Blessings #186 - 194

2011-10-23T12:59:00.004-05:00

186) Bundle of Joy, laying on her belly and coloring a picture
187) Yesterday; perfect fall day, crisp in the morning, warm sunny afternoon, wonderful autumn smell
188) playing Dutch Blitz on a Sunday afternoon with my brother and my kids
189) a good cup of coffee
190) a school-day schedule; Boy did I fight this! My eldest daughter is very methodical. She kept telling me that she needed a schedule telling her what do do when for school, because it would help her. Well, I did NOT want to do that because it would mean I would need one too, at least to some degree. If I said lunch was at 12:00, then I would have to make it on time. Oh boy, that was not what I wanted to do. Finally, I decided I had to help her by doing "the schedule thing". I decided to just go all the way and make one for the rest of us too. Well, what do you know!? It was an awesome week!
191) more rabbit meat ready to eat or freeze, and friends to eat it with (rabbit BBQ = yummy!)
192) a sweet husband to do the butchering - my job; cutting and wrapping. I don't mind my job, and I don't want his. It works out perfectly!
193) Wool sweaters all freshly washed and line dried.
194) a day of rest

Pioneer-ish Type Day at Tanglewoods Homeschool

2011-10-20T14:53:00.003-05:00

This year in history my littles are studying early American history and U.S. geography. Over the last two weeks we've studied the Dutch colony at New Amsterdam (now New York) and the French colony at Detroit, as well as French pioneer/explorers who explored the Great Lakes region. The Dutch were among the first to import cattle to the New World, and made butter and wonderful cheese. The French explored the New World by birch bark canoe.

We had a wonderful hands on day to go with our history program today. We ground wheat, made bread, made butter and made this model of a birch bark canoe. We also looked at birch bark canoe images online. What fun it was! :)

My Apologies, Counting Blessings #162 - 185

2011-10-17T20:49:00.004-05:00

I apologize to anyone who might be looking for new posts from me, especially the Counting Blessings posts. I've been very negligent these past two Sundays. I'm going to write that post right now!

I'm thankful for...

162) time to write this post

163) time to breathe

164) time to snuggle with little girls and read stories

165) time to mend a damaged relationship

166) time to play games

167) time to cook healthy meals

168) time to fill drawers with clean clothes

169) time to visit with extended family

170) time to talk on the phone with my sister

171) time to take a shower

172) time with no propane in the tank to figure out how to live without it, if only for a few days

173) time to remind myself of ways to use less propane in the future

174) time to remind myself to check the propane tank in future, so as not to run out again

175) time to do story problems with my daughter that go like this, "David forgot to close his four chicks into the coop last night. A fox ate two of them. How many chicks did David have left?" This was seriously one of her story problems in her math book last week. How awesome is this? Teaching personal responsibility, homesteading skills and math all at once! :) We're using a curriculum the Mennonites developed for use in their schools for 1st grade reading and math. I am loving the simple homespun stories and emphasis on taking personal responsibility and living with integrity my little first grader gets from this. Other types of story problems might be, "Tim and Mary spent the morning weeding the garden for their mother. Tim weeded two rows and Mary weeded three. How many rows did they weed in all?" I love it!

176) time to wash dishes by hand using yummy smelling dish liquid

177) time to snuggle with hubby drinking coffee and reading Small Farmer's Journal together

178) time to clean up spills

179) time to clean up broken glass

180) time to think about how these major pet peeves of mine (spills and broken glass) really aren't that bad when I'm trying to focus on seeing all time as a gift, and how can that be, because don't I hate wiping spills and cleaning up broken glass?

181) time to pet the goats

182) time to smell fresh autumn air

183) time to pray

184) time to make schedules, and maybe time to keep them?

185) time to watch babies! Thank you Little Bird, and Bundle of Joy, for gracing us with your smiles and baby belly laughs this past week. What a joy you are! Welcome to the world, Little Bear! You are warm and snugly, and we love you!

Finally, one thing that I seem to rediscover every fall is that it takes a LOT of time to homeschool, and that seriously leaves very little time to blog, or read blogs. I hope to do some blogging, and probably more reading of your lovely blogs, but things will probably be significantly quieter from Tanglewoods Homestead for the winter.

I Didn't Forget

2011-10-11T11:45:00.002-05:00

Hi all! I didn't exactly forget about my blessings post yesterday. I thought about it a lot, but I was away from my computer.
I took the kids to my grandparents farm to help get their winter's wood supply. We had a great time visiting with family, and helping out. I wish I'd taken pictures, but I spaced it out completely. They would have been great pictures to have! Tractors, chain saws, little wood splitting competitions to liven things up; it really was a great time. Only too much food...way too much food...

It's so strange that I had so many battles with time since more than a week ago when I talked about time in my Counting Blessings post. My blessings list is going to reveal the real us, for sure! I'm trying to learn to appreciate and invite God into ALL my time, not just the feel good time. I want to be thankful and appreciative of all the times in my life. I have managed to do that this past week to some extent. I'll get that list posted soon, I hope!
I'm not sure how much I'll get on this computer this week, so I'll wish you all a wonderful week! :) Blessings on all of your time!

Snow Day?

2011-10-06T12:06:00.004-05:00

Nope! When one homeschools on the homestead, they never have to take a snow day. However, there are times when it's necessary to take a tomato day.

I peeked into my bags of green/turning red tomatoes and found this happening. Wow!

Molly's BWCAW Camping Photos

2011-10-05T09:01:00.004-05:00

Dan took the eldest three children on their annual fall camping trip this past weekend. I LOVE seeing Molly's pics when they come back, and maybe when Dani is old enough for the trip I'll even go with them. For now it's such a blessing to stay home with the littlest and spend some time with just her. It seems that everyone blossomed during this weekend. The kids came back so excited and confident. It was really fun to see. Littlest really benefited from some time with her mom too.

Goats in the Garden

2011-10-04T10:02:00.005-05:00

But that's OK! The garden is finished for the season and about ready to be put to bed, so we've been letting the goats into it. They're happy to finish up anything that we've missed or left intentionally. They like green beans and bean stalks, broccoli and Swiss chard, and pretty much all of the weeds. We've been having a lot of fun with these little goats. They're just right for a small homestead with young children.
If you've ever been curious about goats milk, here's some info and my opinion about it. The milk the Nigerians give (the only goat milk I've ever tried) is so very good. It's very sweet and creamy, excellent for drinking and making dairy products of all kinds. These little goats give the richest milk of all goats, averaging 5 to 7 percent butter fat and the fat has more short and medium chain fatty acids than cows milk. Goat milk contains more vitamins and minerals than cows milk too. Now, given the choice between cows milk and goat milk purchased in the store, cows milk wins. Don't even bother making your decision about how you feel about goats milk by trying that stuff. Go to a goat milking friend who has a clean barn and keeps the bucks away from the does, milks into a CLEAN container, and strains and cools the milk quickly without pasteurizing it. Try some of that and then decide.

Counting Blessings #152 - 161

2011-10-02T10:35:00.003-05:00

152) Maple trees in fall

153) Reluctant Pilgrim by Enuma Okoro - I'm reading this book so unlike any other I've ever read. It's about faith and community, but from a whole different angle than any I've ever looked at life from. It's extremely interesting, intellectual, sometimes dark and sometimes beautiful and touching me in some great ways.

154) time alone with littlest daughter

155) having the privilege of caring for little niece Bundle of Joy

156) the quiet in the house this morning - quiet is something that probably every mother wishes for at times. It was so incredibly quiet in this house this morning that I could hear the church bells down the road. That is rare indeed, and beautiful.

157) plans for a hike with new friends today

158) perfect autumn weather

159) clean floors (that doesn't happen nearly as often as it should, so it's a real treat)

160) new hay - the goats are thankful too! It's so nice to feed them something they like, and we've gone from about 50% waste of really bad hay to nearly zero waste with really nice hay. I feel so much better having found this. :)

161) time - Time is such a strange commodity. Time...Well, my brain just fell into such a deep hole thinking about the word time and its many facets that I think I might be stuck here for a while. I'm going to have to think about this. I'd like to make peace with time, because when I typed "time" here I realized that at this moment I feel thankful for time, but not always. Time is an enemy as well as a friend. Sometimes it seems as though there's not enough time and at other times it seems like too much. I hope I learn to be thankful for all the time I have, and see it all as a blessing.

I'm going to think about time all this week. How I feel about it, what I'm using it for, and I'll attempt to start each item on next Sunday's list with "Time for..." I think that thinking about time in this way might be a very good thing for me.

I wish all of you many, many blessings in the things you spend your time on/with this week. Hugs!

Tepees and Wigwams

2011-09-27T11:24:00.004-05:00

In order to get the kids up for school this A.M., I had to call them from outside. The weather was perfect for sleeping out last night, and the older three and dog slept on the lawn. I got up and took this photo before they all got up.

The youngest two girls have been learning about North American native culture this week, so we've made model wigwams and tepees. I've come to see the native homes as great works of art. Trying to make these tiny wigwams almost made me crazy. To make them for real must have taken great skill that I certainly don't posses.

It's been a good week so far!

Counting Blessings #138 - 151

2011-09-25T12:26:00.002-05:00

138) fall leaf hikes - crisp leaves, earthy smell, beauty

139) five days at home - This time in quarantine has been just what I needed. Staying home for five whole days without taxiing anyone around has been very nice, and having my family to myself for that time has been great too!

140) nicely trimmed goat hooves - After around four corrective trimmings on Cupcake, she's finally getting a nice flat hoof to walk on, and her trims are going faster. Hooray for that!

141) home grown golden delicious and gala apples - Thanks, Mike and Donna!

142) organic, grass fed beef - This is SO exciting to me! The sweet folks who I doulad for last ordered a quarter of beef for us in exchange for my time with them. Talk about a huge blessing! It was a blessing just being there for them, and we will be receiving this wonderful gift as well. I'm so very thankful.

143) seven freshly processed chickens in the freezer - Yesterday Dan and I processed the seven white orpington chickens that managed to keep away from predators. We did it by ourselves for the first time, and it went pretty well.

144) gaining skills and confidence

145) learning new things - I hope I never stop!

146) Small Farmer's Journal - Dan and I have been enjoying a stack of these for a while now. I like that it gives us ideas to talk over and try out. Lots of fun having projects to work on as a couple.

147) the amazing abundance of tomatoes that grew this year - more than I hoped for - Thank you, God of Wonders!

148) golden aspen leaves against bright blue sky - how could I not be happy with such beauty to see?

149) beautiful weather - It feels like we're getting a real fall this year. The leaves seem to be changing a bit slower than usual, and staying around longer. The weather has been fantastic! I'm soaking up as much of it as I can.

150) a baking day - It seems so long since I've baked anything. It was nice to have some baking time, since the produce isn't keeping me so busy. I made granola and whole wheat crackers. Those wouldn't have been my children's favorite choices. Next chance I get, it's going to be Roman apple cake, and apple crisp. The kids will be much more happy with my choices. I still have over a bushel of apples to process.

151) a day to pause and be thankful - I hope I never stop!

The Final Two Winners!

2011-09-22T21:40:00.006-05:00

I've got two more lovely Liebster's to introduce you to tonight.

Kim over at Jabez Farm is one entertaining and enlightening blogger. Her blog fast becoming a favorite read. If you'd like to know how to cut up a pig, render lard, raise turkeys, cook or bake something delectable, make your own vanilla extract...well, I could go on, but you get the idea. She's a homeschooling, homemaking, home-girl with a great sense of humor. I hope you love her as much as I do!

And last, but not least, Peggy at Hidden Haven Homestead is sure to make you feel all cozy and homey. Her homestead animal tales are always entertaining and informative, and I love her stories about her grandchildren. Don't miss the one from yesterday! It's great, and all mom's of teens are sure to get a good laugh - and maybe a good idea!?

Thank you, ladies, for the great blogs!

Now if you five awesome women would like to, you may choose five outstanding Liebster's of your own and feature them on your blogs. I'll be reading, and would love to meet some of your favorite bloggers. Happy posting! :)

P.S. I hope this all makes some semblance of sense. I'm a bit tired tonight. We're dealing with whooping cough, and now basically quarantined. We'll be spending the next five days at home (Thank you, God! I'm actually thrilled to be forced to stay home!). Ordinarily, I'd invite you to stop by any time, but please don't right now. Apparently we'll be contagious until Tuesday P.M. :(

Two More Winners

2011-09-21T08:23:00.006-05:00

I'm pleased to introduce you to two more Liebster (dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome) women!

Mama Pea at A Home Grown Journal is a real homestead lady. There are two very lovely homesteads in our area that are built with her (and Papa Pea and even Chicken Mama's) blood, sweat and tears. The first is being enjoyed by another couple now, but they are both lovely and well laid out little farms. Mama and Papa Pea are wonderful folks, and full of wisdom about many, many homestead type things. Honey bees, solar power, gardening, poultry, cottage cheese making, kefir, dairy goats (which they had on the "old place"), canning, baking...You really should meet them. You'll be so glad you did!

and

Erin at Garden Now Think Later is another woman who writes a truly happenin' blog. Her life is always full, and right now it's a bit more full than usual. She and her hubby and boys are in the middle of a big transition right now. Those of us who've gotten to know her through her blog, and are fortunate to have her big transition end with a move to MN, can't wait until it's complete! She is truly an amazing gardener...in Virginia, no less...in the SUMMER, no kidding! She's also an accomplished espresso maker (and drinker), knitter, food preserver, military wife, and wonderful mother to two really great boys.
She's also very organized. I just had to throw that in because I have no idea what that is (except it looks GREAT!), or how it works, and it amazes me. It would still amaze me even if that's ALL she did, but as you've read, it's not. You should definitely get to know her!

Difficult Task Completed...Drumroll Please!

2011-09-20T09:13:00.005-05:00

AND THE WINNERS (in no particular order) ARE...

Sherry over at Russ-stick Acres writes a great blog. I love seeing glimpses of her life; Wee-house, (and it's wee-wee house ;), the goats and other critters both on and around her homestead. Her faith is inspiring to me as well. In some ways she had a rough year, but she looked for and found God and His blessings in the difficulties of it. That's BIG, seeing God not as the cause of our trouble, but the One who wants to help us THROUGH it. Thanks, Sherry, for the encouraging example!

You are a true

lady! Absolutely dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome!

I just realized I won't have time to finish this today, but I can't wait to start sharing these awesome women with you. So, I'm going to share in stages. If that means some of my chosen blogs earn this award from someone else before I share them with you, they'll be receiving it more than once. :) Have a great time getting to know Sherry!

A Big Thank You and Hug To Match

2011-09-19T19:26:00.004-05:00

Thank you so much Apple Pie Gal, for the fabulous award! Seriously, it feels like a great big hug from a friend. I'm thrilled! I'm most happy because this means I get to choose five of my favorite blogs (and their super wonderful authors) to pass it on to! This is going to be so fun, but so hard. I love all the blogs I read so much. You all inspire me in so many wonderful ways, and I learn so much from you.

The Liebster is awarded to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers.
"Liebster" is a German word meaning dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.
I'll be keeping these words in mind as I choose five of you wonderful women, but like I said, this will be HARD! I think all of you exemplify these characteristics!

I've got some choosing to do, but I'll be back! :)

Counting Blessings #125 - 137

2011-09-18T12:55:00.006-05:00

125) smoky, roasted tomatoes

126) coffee with clover/basswood honey and goat milk - I have a newly discovered love for both the clover/basswood honey I get at our co-op and our sweet goats milk. In fact, don't tell on me, but I sometimes steal a spoonful of honey and eat it by itself. YUMMY!

127) fresh squeezed apple cider - Some good friends gave us a taste yesterday. Oh, my. Tastes like autumn in a glass.

128) littlest daughter's sparkle

129) three weeks of school finished - This time of year is so delightful in the respect that I spend much more time interacting with my children. It's wonderful to spend time snuggled up on the couch together.

130) real snuggling weather

131) count down on the garden - It's nice when there's more stored away than there is left to process.

132) Swiss chard - It's the most amazing stuff! It's sweeter now that there's been frost, and it's greener and healthier than ever. It was one of the first crops to be eaten this spring and is still being eaten fresh.

133) ripe apples off the tree

134) Dani's hawk (story coming soon)

135) This Recipe for grape juice concentrate, also found in the Simply in Season cookbook.

136) Speaking of the Simply in Season cookbook, that's one thing I'm thankful for this week. I just got it a couple of days ago, and I love the way it's organized. It's not just a cookbook, but also a book full of ponderings about every aspect of food. I love how I can search by ingredient and find something to cook or a way to preserve that ingredient. For instance, if you were inundated with turnips, what would you cook? Or chard, or cabbage, what could you do with a mountain of that? This book has helped me answer these questions this week.

137) my husband's organizational skills

Cupcake's (aka Lily's) Antics

2011-09-15T21:47:00.005-05:00

Cupcake has a thing for my hood strings. This is our little interaction today.

"I'm not doing anything back here."

the sneak attack

cute, cuddly, but with an ulterior motive

"Got it!"

"If I can't have the string, can't I taste the camera?"

"I'm bad!"

The Season I'm In, and Maybe You Are Too?

2011-09-15T07:30:00.001-05:00

I would like to know how many of you ever feel like there's no way you are EVER going to find the bottom of the laundry pile again, or you will NEVER have matching socks in the children's drawers, or how about winter clothing? Anyone else out there planned to get it all washed and put away for the summer, only to find that it's nearly winter again and it's still waiting to get put away? Anyone else sort of feeling that the harder you work the more there is to do? I HOPE so, because I'd like to know that I'm not the only one who is feeling this way. On the other hand, I hope not, since I don't like this feeling and hope none of you deal with it.
So, if you don't, wonderful! I'm genuinely thrilled for you, and so glad there are some of us out there who can plan and execute things so well. You just might be the ones holding the world together! :)
To those of you who are feeling a bit like I am right now, I'm sorry to hear that. But, you know what? There are more of us than you might think, and we're a pretty fantastic bunch of people too. I promise if you invite me over, I won't even look at your laundry pile, and I won't lift the couch cushions either. If I see your children wearing mismatched socks or none at all, I'll assume you've got a life like mine. Very full, and very happy, and a bit chaotic. Maybe you also have many many pints and quarts full of your summers work stocked away in the pantry. Maybe your life's rhythm in the summer is ruled by what the garden or animals are producing, or what summer activities the children are involved with, or both. Perhaps we will all finally get to the bottom of that laundry pile when the garden is sleeping under it's winter's mulch and the jars of summer goodness are being slowly opened and savored.
Life is full of seasons. Sometimes I struggle with fully living in the season I'm in. Sometimes I'm not thankful for the blessings I'm receiving because I'm worried about what's coming next. That too bad, because each season has its treasures and blessings.

Tomato Help Needed Again

2011-09-14T10:48:00.004-05:00

Hey all! I just helped our Resident Naturalist post about hornets, so please don't miss it even though I'm posting again so quickly.

I have a tomato quandary. It's supposed to freeze tonight, but I have a LOT of tomatoes that look like this:

What would you do? Would you pick them even though they're not quite ripe, or cover them and hope for the best? I'm going to cover them anyway since there are so many green ones. I'd like to give them a chance. But I would hate to loose these beauties when they're so close to ripe! Can I trust covering with sheets to protect them? By the way, that picture is of one of the bush early girls that froze this spring. You can see what it looked like here. See the third photo in the post. Can you believe that? I'm so glad I decided to try letting them grow!
So, please advise me! I await your wisdom... ;)

Guest Post by Resident Naturalist

2011-09-14T09:42:00.003-05:00

We went to a place my dad works and saw this hornets nest. It was built on the side of a greenhouse. It was as big as my dad's head. It was like half of a nest. You could see inside of it. The hornets came to feed the larvae. The larvae were wiggling around.
It was really cool because there was another hornets nest inside the greenhouse, but it was abandoned. It was as big as my dad's fist. It was safe to watch the hornets from inside the greenhouse.
Here is a video of the nest that my mom helped me put here.

***Note from Mom***
There are so many fabulous homeschool opportunities in nature! This was a terrific opportunity, being able to safely watch these hornets working inside their nest. Wow!

Counting Blessings #108 - 124

2011-09-11T07:30:00.002-05:00

108) camp fires on cool nights, fall hangs in the air while heat glows on the cheeks

109) Good times with little Sis.

110) New babies (1 doula baby this past week and two nieces had babies this week too)!

111) Crisp fall leaves. They smell wonderful, and I love the crunching sound as the goats munch on them.

112) pasta with chopped fresh tomatoes

113) hot tea

114) little girls giggling

115) hugs from half grown son

116) water with fresh lime juice

117) humus (Why are they all food? I must be hungry.) Actually, I am very thankful for healthy food in such abundance.

118) beautiful night sky

119) plenty of wood waiting to keep us warm this winter

120) apples turning red, hanging heavy on branches

121) red kuri squash turning a reddish orange, beautiful splashes of color in the garden

122) moon bathing earth in cool beauty

123) children gathered close

124) barefoot days and quilted nights

An Absolute Must See Film

2011-09-09T18:51:00.001-05:00

Today I came across this absolute gem of a film called A Farm For the Future. It just has to speak for itself. If you're interested in sustainable agriculture, you're going to get so much to think about from this. I hope you're inspired by it as much as I was.

Unique Doula Role and Experience

2011-09-08T15:16:00.002-05:00

I haven't rally written about my doula experienced on this blog much, and decided I wanted to introduce you to that part of my life today. On Tuesday AM I got to play a unique role for me doing a very different type of doula work. It was a GREAT experience!
I was asked if I would be interested in attending a home birth in order to help the family's two daughters be a part of their new sibling's birth. Wow! Would I EVER! I have long wanted to attend a home birth, and I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of this one. It was by far the most low key, peaceful birth ever. The midwives were fantastic at their job; very knowledgeable and had a peaceful, supportive presence.
My little charges were a delight! Their parents did a super job of preparing them for the labor and delivery. They each had some special jobs they wanted to do and were able to be kept occupied with them when needed. They weren't frightened by the birth process, and were thrilled when baby arrived. Four year old daughter got to tell everyone the sex of baby. :)
I dearly hope that I get to experience more home births in the future.
I know this post is short on details, and there's oh, so much more I would love to say, but this is a small community and I want to allow the families I serve their privacy. That's one reason I don't blog about this too often. It is nice to share with you all this part of my life though! :)

Counting Blessings #98 - 107

2011-09-04T07:30:00.002-05:00

98) abundance of tomatoes

99) health all around (It's been a while since we've all been healthy at the dame time, and I'm SO THANKFUL for that!)

100) reaching 100 blessings to be thankful for :)

101) community youth soccer

102) clean goat barn and trimmed hooves

103) great first week of school

104) My Father's World curriculum, for holding up a high standard for my children, and giving them a schedule to follow that wasn't created by me. My children don't try to bargain as much when there's a nebulous "someone out there" who created their assignments. It's working well so far!

105) The guys at Math Teaching Textbooks for creating a wonderful program that allows me to successfully teach increasingly difficult math effectively.

106) all the wonderful things to discover and learn about - it never gets old!

107) Baby niece Bundle of Joy - her enthusiasm and joy are so infectious!

Tomatoes

2011-09-03T07:30:00.000-05:00

I had no idea when I was lamenting over my tomato plants what I would be blessed with come late summer/fall. I've been able to make pasta sauce with my tomatoes with the intent to can it for the first time. I had two lovely quarts of sauce made, and both jars broke in the canner. :( I know what I did wrong though, and next time I won't make that mistake. I didn't have the sauce in the jars hot enough to go into the canner that I'd just taken the beans out of. The water in the canner was too hot for the jars and the bottoms broke off. I didn't catch my mistake until after I'd "canned" the sauce. When I opened the lid, I could nearly have cried.
I've got almost enough for another batch if I stretch it with carrots, yellow summer squash, onions, basil, green pepper and garlic that I grew. In fact, if I wait a couple more days I think I'll have more than two quarts this time. Oh, I can't wait! :)

First Week of School

2011-09-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

As mentioned, this was our first week of school. We had a really productive first week, but I'm exhausted! This is going to take some serious getting used to.

On Monday we had a patriotic red, white and blue snack (since we were talking about the U.S. Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance for U.S. History/Geography. I love this picture! They were so excited to eat this yummy snack, and it shows in the photo. Fun, fun, fun!

Persuasive Essay

2011-09-01T12:36:00.003-05:00

We started school this week. 9th grade daughter's first big assignment was to write a persuasive essay. I loved the topic she chose! She's a girl after my own heart, and she's learning fast. She wants to farm in the future. Her interests lie mainly in animal husbandry, but she's also interested in organic farming of all kinds. She plans to try her hand at a garden of her own next spring.
Following is her (finished?) essay.

Factory Farming vs. Organic Farms

Organic farms are better than factory farms because they are better for the environment, produce healthier food for people, and are more humane to animals.
First of all, large meat producing companies pollute the earth. They have large amounts of animals which means that they have lots of waste to deal with. They use lots of gasoline and energy to move it all. Some of it will run into our rivers and lakes and pollute our water. Some companies have even illegally dumped waste into water. Organic farms use less energy and fuel, and their animal waste can be used as fertilizer because the animals don’t have any added chemicals or hormones.
Products produced at factory farms are unhealthy for people. They have added hormones to make them grow faster and bigger. The animals are fed only corn. This is a cheap way to feed them and it fattens them up quickly. Animals from organic farms are grass fed and free ranged. The meat has no added preservatives, chemicals, or hormones.
Lastly, organic farms treat animals better. They have large pastures so that they are not all crammed together. They are slaughtered by hand so that the people know that the animals are dead before they begin butchering. They are kept in a clean, roomy space. Factory farms, however, are inhumane to animals. They are kept in small, cramped spaces, often indoors. They sometimes have no fresh water and are up to their knees in muck. Animals- mostly chickens, are sometimes killed and butchered with machines. If a chicken somehow misses the part where they get killed, which sometimes happens, they get their feathers plucked while they’re still alive.
For these reasons, I think it is best to support organic farmers and not factory farms. You can support organic farms by buying local at a whole foods store or co-op. You could buy directly from local farmers. You could grow your own food to eat, and even sell it. You could become an organic farmer!

Counting Blessings #86 - 97

2011-08-28T09:44:00.004-05:00

86) abundance of green beans (in canner now) and summer squash
87) God's amazing Goodness sought and found, even on days when it seemed nothing was good. This never ceases to amaze me! It reminds me of one of my favorite Bible verses; "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast..." When I need an anchor, I start counting blessings. I find my anchor has more to grip that way.
88) beautiful rainbows and water drops in the sun
89) unexpected windfall of gently used hand me downs for the kids (Thanks Mary!)
90) quiet A.M. and P.M. milkings marking the beginning and ending of the day, creating a rhythm, providing opportunities for thought and prayer
91) doing things I'd never thought I'd do, surprised to find strength and grace I didn't know before
92) Rich Mullins music playing in the background
93) quiet and peaceful Sunday
94) first day of school tomorrow, marking a new season; time to slow down, snuggle, read with kids, learning new skills together, celebrating milestones
95) cool mornings and evenings, snuggling under the blankets again
96) warm days, summer lingering in the air, not quite time to give it up yet
97) staying home more; I love home :)

Little Girls and Little Bunnies

2011-08-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

We have bunnies just opening their eyes again, and happy little girls. :)

Caprice

2011-08-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Ahh...finally! I've been waiting for this all summer, and finally it's time! Tomatoes and basil at the same time. Joy!

Lily on the Milking Stand

2011-08-23T07:00:00.002-05:00

I'm finally getting a photo of my milking stand up here. I purchased the head stall portion of the stand, and Dan figured out a way to attach it to an old coffee table for me. It saved a considerable amount of money over buying the whole thing, but not as much as building the whole thing would have. It was a nice compromise between cost in money and cost in time spent.
Lily and I continue to improve in our milking skills, and very slowly Lily seems to be giving more milk. It's still a miniscule bit that wouldn't seem worth it to most people, but it's enough for Hattie's needs, so it's worth it to me. If we get to an amount that's not completely embarrassing I'll give you an exact figure. Say, a pint a day. When we achieve that (if ever), I'll let you all know. ;) There's a clue as to how much work I'm doing, and for how little. I am learning a lot though, and that makes it worth it to me.
Molly's going to try her hand at the milking tomorrow. Hopefully she likes it and will make a good back up in case of emergency.

Yesterday Afternoon's Rainbow

2011-08-22T07:00:00.002-05:00

Beautiful!

Counting Blessings #74 - 85

2011-08-21T08:34:00.005-05:00

74) This week was a rough one health wise, so first and foremost, I'm thankful for God's sustaining me during a very busy week while feeling under the weather with no time to rest. Many of the things I'm thankful for this week relate to the hard go I've had. I think I never really recovered fully from this illness, and had a major set back. I'm on the mend now though, and trying to take some time each day for rest. :)

75) the prayers of faithful friends

76) God's healing touch

77) helpful children

78) cool breeze off the harbor

79) abundant harvests (see new header photo for today's)

80) fresh goat milk (It tastes SO MUCH BETTER than that I've purchased in grocery stores.)

81) white washed chicken coop; fresh starts, new beginnings, clean slates...grace in many forms

82) Rest

83) Lynn (I hope you're up and about and able to read this. You really worked hard to bless so many children's lives this past week. I'm very thankful for you, and the chance to talk with you for a while. Praying for your healing, and hoping you're feeling better. Hugs!)

84) birthdays (38 years yesterday. I'm not afraid to say it, yet...) :)

85) YOU! Each and every one of you! It's been a hard week to be thankful, but I knew at least a few of you would be looking to see what I had for the week. It kept me searching! It's almost like searching for hidden treasure sometimes, and finding another gift is such a surprise. Surprised by Grace...I like that. :)

Lily Pics

2011-08-16T21:02:00.002-05:00

Here are the pics of sweet little Lily. She's just a dear! Can't you tell just by looking at these? :)
So far the other girls aren't taking to her well. I think things are better when no people are around, but when we're there they really keep her away. Pansy tries to bite her ears. They both chase and butt her. I keep praying they settle down soon. I really don't know how long it should take, but I'd hoped they'd already have it worked out. It's making for a lot of waste hay since I want to make sure Lily gets enough. I try to put it in a few different places.
Well, it's off to bed for me. I. Am. So. Tired......Goodnight all. :)

New Goat News

2011-08-15T13:46:00.003-05:00

I spent the day yesterday driving over to the Iron Range to get our newest goat, Lily. I love that drive! So relaxing, no traffic and there's some farm country to see too.
I spent a couple of hours at Baa-si Farmz, where I purchased Lily, learning now to draw blood, and talkin' goat. It was a blast. I was a bit surprised by Lily's tiny stature. She's only 16 months old now, so still growing. As a first freshener, her udder is only so-so (but nicely attached, and her teats are quite small. I milk with only my thumb and first two fingers.
Speaking of milking, I've done it twice so far. Once at 7:30 P.M. when I got home yesterday and at 7:30 this A.M. Last night's milking was extremely laughable. It took way longer than it should have, me being so inexperienced, and Lily never having been milked. Neither of us knew what we were doing. Molly had to help me hold her leg so she couldn't step in the milk pail or kick me. I got milk everywhere but the pail for a while, then it was a hit or a miss. Lily had just nursed her doeling for the last time right before I drove home. Any way, all said and done, I got a WHOPPING TWO OUNCES OF MILK! This A.M. was slightly better at 5 ounces and no leg holding. We're both catching on!
I don't think she was nursing her baby as she should have been. She had rejected her and was just beginning to take her back. Also, a single doeling doesn't really need all that much milk. For those reasons, I'm sure she's not giving as much milk as she's capable of. She's only 3 weeks fresh, though, so I'm hoping with patience and proper feeding we'll both continue to improve. We should have some time since does generally peak in their lactation at about two months. By her second freshening we'll both be old pros (I hope).
The good news: I'd said I'd be happy with enough for my daughter's breakfast, and she had enough for her granola this A.M. She was all smiles and loved the milk. It was worth it!
Sorry no pictures yet, but at this point just accomplishing the task of properly cleaning everything, and milking, and re-cleaning is taking too much brain power. When I get more used to the process, I'll try to get some photos.

Counting Blessings #56 - 73

2011-08-14T07:00:00.002-05:00

57) beautiful waxing moon
58) wind in the trees at night
59) rain
60) freshly mowed grass
61) lovely piano music on Ann's blog (sometimes I log on just to let the music play)
62) getting closer to a new school year, spread before us fresh and clean
63) quiet time alone
64) sleeping baby Bundle of Joy
65) chicken and rabbit meat processed
66) Lisa :)
67) All-American pressure canner
68) clean chicken coop ready for new flock
69) full moon
70) sound of goats munching hay - so relaxing
71) good chocolate
72) sun tea
73) orange juice

Meat! Oh yeah.

2011-08-13T17:15:00.003-05:00

Today we finally got time to deal with the old hens. We processed eight of them, and also two rabbits. Dan was just refreshing his memory for when we do the whole batch of bunnies, which should be soon. We were so thankful that our good friend Lisa could come over and give us a hand with the slaughtering and cutting up of the hens. We haven't, up to now, butchered enough to remember what we're doing, so we were really glad to have a knowledgeable person present.
One of our old hens weighed in at seven and a half pounds before processing, and we found a strange surprise inside her. Over a pound and a half of yellow fat in her abdomen. Yucky! That's what gluttony gets you I guess. She's always been the "boss" and the first one to get anything good. Also, just as I suspected, she was a faker. She had no eggs in her at all, but usually spent some time on the nest each day and left bragging about...nothing. She never left an egg behind, just faked it. She did dress out nice and plump though.
We found a lot of egg yolks inside most of the hens. I forgot to take a picture of that, but I have a whole bowl full in the fridge, and I plan to feed them to my family for supper with some fried potatoes. Does anybody do that? I really don't know if I'm crazy for doing this or not, but I'm going to try it.

In this crock pot there are all the hearts and gizzards as well as the backs, ribs and necks, and the two rabbit rib cage sections. There are also garlic, onions and pepper corns. It smells wonderful in here! I'm getting hungry.

The rest of the meat; breast sections, legs, wings and thighs, fit into eight quart jars, and I canned them. I think some of the meat floated up and pushed the lids up a bit, releasing some of the broth. Bummer, because that stuff is good. I'm looking forward to making a good soup soon so we can try the chicken. It looks like it got nice and tender from the canning.

Tomorrow it's off to get my newest goat! Milking tomorrow night if all goes well! :) I'm also learning to draw blood so I can do that myself. It really pays for me to learn to do all I can since there's not a large animal vet anywhere within a 3 hr. drive of where I am. This way I'll be able to send blood in to the lab myself to test for disease or pregnancy. These tests are very inexpensive provided I can draw the blood and send in the paperwork myself.

Wishing all of you a wonderful weekend! Happy homesteading, homeschooling, homemaking...Happy "home" and all that means for each of you!

Forty-four

2011-08-11T16:13:00.002-05:00

That's how many blogs I follow (or attempt to). It's too many, but they're all good! I don't want to let any of you go, ever. I find such great information and am so entertained, encouraged, stretched, sharpened...affected in so many great ways by all of you. What a dilemma! :)

Cupcake (aka Lily)

2011-08-09T21:30:00.003-05:00

I'm happy to introduce Cupcake to you! It looks like she'll be joining Pansy and Starlight soon, and will get a name change to Lily. I got the chance to purchase her from a breeder who had decided to sell her herd of Nigerians. I'm really excited by the prospect of having milk sooner than next May! Her little doeling is going to be sold to someone else as a bottle baby, so I will be able to try my hand at milking right away. I really don't know how that will go, or what her udder is going to be like when it's allowed to bag up good (if it does indeed bag up good). I guess that's a mystery for all of us. I hope for enough milk for our cows milk intolerant daughter to have milk for her cereal and a glass at dinner. I'll be pretty happy with that for now, though I hope for enough for all our needs in the future.
I've read in my research that a well-bred Nigerian doe can produce an average of a quart a day over the 305 day lactation period. At peak production (two months into the lactation cycle) some does are now producing over 6 lbs of milk a day, some nearly seven (one gallon). The way things stand now the three does I have are on a one fall freshener and two spring fresheners schedule. If I could spread my spring fresheners out by a month it would be ideal, except for the logistics of where to put all of them. Since things aren't often "ideal" we'll all get to see what actually happens over the next year. OK, are you bored yet? I've got goat fever right now. Sorry to all of you who aren't interested in goats, but watch out, I hear it's contagious! ;)

Lilly with her current doeling

Counting Blessings #33 - 55

2011-08-08T15:34:00.008-05:00

Oops! I missed my counting blessings post yesterday. Here it is any way; I couldn't wait another whole week.

33) goats in milk :) (I'll tell ya more about that later)
34) the first ripe tomato of the season
35) a clean(er) house
36) town festivals
37) Amy, Andy and Sparrow
38) gardeners that know stuff about gardening :)
39) Blueberry Jam (terrific local band)
40) aunts and uncles
41) parades
42) fire works
43) ripe nectarines
44) belly laughs
45) husband's smile when the eyes smile too
46) cookouts with good friends
47) Vacation Bible School - children having fun all morning
48) two more weeks of swimming lessons
49) lawns growing more slowly - more time with husband
50) weeks and weeks of open windows
51) whole foods co-op
52) milk straight from the cow
53) sunglasses
54) good books
55) sunlight glinting off of water

Guest Post by Resident Naturalist, age 8

2011-08-06T07:30:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago my dad and I looked into a nest by our old green house. A bird flew out, and it hit me on the head. That really happened! I saw her go in and out. She had a nest in there. The eggs hatched and now the baby birds flew away.

Today I went with binoculars and saw a gold finch in her nest. I watched her stand up and move her eggs around with her beak. I saw her fly away and land in a tree. She made a pretty call and a bunch of other gold finches came to her, and then they flew away. I could see it really up close with binoculars and it was really cool.

In our bard there are baby squirrels. I saw one. It was really curious. It came very close to me. When I came close to it it ran behind some hay bales. It ran onto a window sill. I almost trapped it with the shutters. Right before it got away, I touched its tail.

When I was in our greenhouse, I saw some mice. I followed them outside. I found their house, and also a mouse nest.

I was by our barn and I saw a chipmunk eating feed. I got very close to it. It ran away. A few minutes later I saw something in the chicken fence. The little trees were bending down. I went inside, but it was a sparrow.

The Critters at Tanglewoods

2011-08-05T09:32:00.009-05:00

There's a lot going on here with the animals, too. We'll soon have full freezer and pantry shelves, and it feels good to finally have some pay back for all the spending money on feed and time on care. My husband is really excited about getting a "harvest" soon. So, here's what's going on now.

We weren't supposed to get any roosters with our last batch of chicks, other than the dozen white orpington's we got as meat birds...

...but this guy must have been sexed wrong. He's a picture of manliness, cockerel style. Only 8 weeks old, crowing and attempting to mate with the young ladies. Isn't he a beauty? I wish I could communicate to him that his very life depends on his being gentle with the humans here at Tanglewoods.

And then there's this chicken here. It was our rare breed chick, and is one of my favorites, though I suspect it's also a cockerel. I'm not positive yet about that, however. I'm really hoping it's a hen. We really can't keep three roosters with only a dozen hens. We definitely want to keep the rooster we have now (he's such a gentleman with his ladies, protective over them but never aggressive in any way), though he's about to loose all but one of his current hens. I hope he likes his replacements. I believe the old hens will be going into the canner and freezer on Sunday (I hope).

Our meat birds are growing really well. They'll be fryer size in five more weeks, so we'll be busy again then.

The bunnies are fryer size now, and ready to go in the freezer. That should happen later this week. They're weighing in at about 5#, so all dressed out we should end up with about 50 lbs. of rabbit. Someone get the BBQ sauce, and I'll start the grill! Mmmm, yummy!
We also have two more batches of bunnies due soon. Looking forward to a winter of rabbit stews!
Is this making food out of these cute furries difficult? You bet it is, but it's also going to be so good to have healthy, clean, ethically raised meat. There hasn't been a lot of meat around here lately, and every one of us is looking forward to eating well on this little homestead.

Dan surprised me with this awesome goat "balance beam". I was so thrilled when I saw it! I'm very thankful for so many things about this man. However, lately it seems like the already terrific guy has been quietly replaced with a super deluxe version. I was absolutely shocked yesterday when he said, "I think I'll come to town with you. I don't feel like working today." WHAT? Rather run errands with me in town than work? That's just too unbelievable. But, we had a real nice time running errands together. While I was shopping at the co-op he even took little Six on the kiddie rides (our town's most popular summer festival began on Thursday).

The goat jungle gym makes the perfect spot to sit in the shade and have a chat with a good friend.

As usual, Starlight would rather eat.

Garden Update II

2011-08-04T19:51:00.002-05:00

cucumbers are on the way

yellow crookneck summer squash

snow peas need picking daily

cabbage heads are getting quite large

Deer tongue lettuce, my new favorite. It's growing so well, lasts a long time in the garden, and tastes great. I'm definitely going to do a lot of succession planting of this next year.

Other goings on that I don't have pics of:
-We're eating some broccoli, but it's not growing very successfully. This is my first time growing it, so I don't really know what to expect. I don't know if it's because it's been a warm summer, or the type of broccoli I planted, but it doesn't grow very big before it's beginning to flower out and I have to cut it now or never. This means we aren't getting as much as I'd hoped for.
- I've got Swiss chard coming out my ears. I'm freezing it, stir frying it, egg baking it, and still it continues to flourish beyond what I need. I'm blessed to have it, but I'm going to have to get really creative! :)
- The green beans are almost ready to begin picking.
- Lots of pesto made, and the basil is still going strong. I'm hoping to have some when the tomatoes are ready for making caprese salad. I almost can't wait! Oh, yummy!
- Cilantro is barely hanging in there, but I keep cutting back. I don't think it's going to make it until the tomatoes are ready, but I wish I could have it timed it right. I'd wanted it for salsa, but I might have to buy some instead.

Also growing are:
-onions
-red cabbage
-red curry squash
-beets
-turnips
-carrots
-green pepper
-tom thumb lettuce
-garlic
-cauliflower

That's all I can think of right now.

The nest post should be a livestock update. Goat pics on the way!

Garden Update I (Tomatoes)

2011-08-03T11:49:00.006-05:00

First, I'm happy to report that there was no more tomato damage this A.M. I went out with a flashlight after dark last night and couldn't find any more worms. Oh, thank you, God!

The garden from a distance

Bush Early Girl (Oops! I think this is Thessaloniki(?), not bush early girl.)

First ripening tomato. Beefmaster is coming in first, even before Stupice and Early Girl.

Pear Tomato

These are the tomatoes on the plants that froze this spring. I had cut away every bit of foliage after they froze, and they looked like sticks poking out of the ground, except that there were tiny itty bitty suckers on them. What amazing little plants they turned out to be!

Bush Early Girl

Olive Grape

Tomato Help Needed

2011-08-01T16:11:00.003-05:00

OK all you experienced gardeners, I need help! I found my first ripening tomato today, and also found these. Can I get rid of these guys? Any suggestions would be oh so helpful. In my arsenal already are insecticidal soap, diatomaceous earth and neem oil. Would any of these be helpful to me? I've been so careful of these tomatoes, and they've come through so much. I've got so many of them near ripening. I hope I don't loose them all now!

Counting Blessings #1 through #32

2011-07-31T10:57:00.003-05:00

1) time with a good friend
2) line dried laundry
3) Earl Grey tea
4) fresh lettuce
5) a crafty daughter to learn quilting with
6) homemade finger puppets
7) an artsy daughter to practice seascapes with
8) limeade and ice cubes
9) a book loving son to go to bookstores with
10) swimming pools
11) "Mommy, can you read this to me?" Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Make Way for Ducklings, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Fancy Nancy
12) rainbow flock of chickens
13) new days
14) moon out in bright blue sky
15) shallow, sandy bottomed lake on a hot day
16) forgiveness granted
17) freckle faced children
18) cool breezes
19) ice cream
20) Dr. Bronner's Peppermint soap
21) Husband; there just aren't enough good words...
22) empty laundry hamper
23) full dresser drawers
24) weddings
25) baby nieces
26) coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon
27) little girls in outdoor bubble bath, suds on freckled noses
28) little sisters
29) swimming lessons; children growing confident
30) warm, earthy scent of summer
31) clean barn; sweet smell of fresh straw
32) young cockerel's first crow

Please comment and share some of your favorite blessings with us. :) Wishing a peaceful, restful Sunday to all of you.

Blame the Ticks

2011-07-27T16:58:00.003-05:00

I've been away for a while, and it's all because of a tick. At least that's what the Doc suspects. I became quite ill on Sunday night with what's suspected to be ehrlichiosis; a viral infection contracted through a tick bite. On Monday I went to the clinic quite ill with sore throat, headache, painful joints, sick stomach, chills and fever. After 24 hrs. on an antibiotic I was feeling quite a bit better. Now I've got a lot of energy back and feel well enough to carry on at about half speed. It's so nice to feel better, and I'm thankful for life and health again. I'm also thankful for a husband willing to step in and be the go to guy for everything. He did a great job, and all's well. Thanks to everyone who knew about this and was praying for us.

After I published that post on things I was thankful for, and found that being thankful really changed my life, I decided to read One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, writer of THIS BLOG. The book tells her story about how thankfulness changed her life. At the beginning of her thankfulness journey a friend challenged her to keep a list of one thousand things she was thankful for. I decided it sounded like a good idea, so Sundays will be my "Counting Blessings" post day, until I reach at least one thousand things to be thankful for. I can't wait until Sunday to post the first group of items for my own list! Until then, there may be nothing to read here. I'm thinking of taking a break from blogging until I'm running at full throttle again. :) See ya Sunday!

The Answer to the Chicken Rainbow Guessing Game

2011-07-21T22:46:00.004-05:00

Our growing new flock is made up of:

12 White Orpington cockerels (future meat birds)
5 Silver Laced Wyandotte pullets
3 Red Star pullets
2 Silver Spangled Hamburg pullets
1 Columbian Wyandotte pullet
1 Black Star pullet
1 Cuckoo Maran, as of yet sex unknown

The Cuckoo Maran is our free rare breed chick from McMurray Hatchery, probably a rooster since I think that's their angle on the rare breed chick deal. They get rid of unwanted male chicks. I'm hoping that I'm wrong and it's a hen this time. I really like this bird! So, if their plan is really to get folks interested in some rare breed chickens, it worked this time. I'd like a few more of these! It's very pretty, calm and quiet.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Chicken Rainbow

2011-07-21T22:33:00.003-05:00

I love watching our pullets and cockerels doing their chicken thing. It really relaxes me for some reason. It's just one of those things I find so enjoyable. I love this particular batch of chicks because they make such and exciting rainbow of chicken colors. Who can spot and identify the most chicken breeds in these photos? :

Weather

2011-07-20T19:57:00.004-05:00

I just hopped over to Mama Pea's blog and found that for once she hasn't beaten me tohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif a blog post about the weather we had last night. (I don't really mind that she usually gets to it first though, since she has a rain gauge and I get to find out how much rain we got. :)
I wish I'd had my camera with when I went to town today. You'd find this all much more interesting if you could see it.
Last night we had a huge thunder storm. It poured for about 2 1/2 hours or so. I really don't know exactly since I was trying to sleep (through the dog's fit of hysterics. She's terrified of thunder.) It rained about 3 1/2 to 4 inches here. There were a lot of washed out roads and driveways, and rivers running down the hills to the big lake that aren't usually rivers at all. There were children swimming in the Co-op parking lot (the water was up to their waists in some places). Yuck! Hattie wanted to join them, but I didn't think that would be a good idea. That was NOT clean water. I don't think the Co-op could have gotten many customers today. People would have to wade through the "lake" to reach the door. I did see some adventurous folks wading through the water to get there though. Kudos to them! As for me, I'm glad I went yesterday.
I was also wondering if Dan would be able to get home from work, since he'd spent the night at a cabin he was working on north of here, over the hill, and I'd heard the roads were washed out in spots. It was a bit rough going, but he made it home. I was very thankful for that, since I really missed him. I'm thankful he has work now, but I'll be glad when his jobs again keep him closer to home.
It's thundering again as I type this. I wonder if we're in for more tonight? The dog is already acting up. There's just no reasoning with her over gun shots, fire works or thunder storms. Oh, and here comes the rain...

Thankfulness

2011-07-18T14:29:00.004-05:00

I've been having a hard time being thankful in the business of life lately. I sat down to post a terrific rant that turned into delightful praise and thankfulness. I'm so glad for the change of heart! Two paragraphs of rant erased in favor of the happy soul overflowing with blessing.

Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful garden with so much abundance growing in it. It is beautiful, and encouraging to see. It's a gift, and I am thankful.

Thank you, Creator, for the abundance of animal life on our little homestead. A gift as well. I am thankful.

Thank you, Father, for the blessing of husband and children. They're the most wonderful gift of all. Let me be always thankful.

Thank you for heat to grow tomatoes, little and yellow, big and red, straight from the garden warm and juicy trickling down my chin.

Thank you for the sparrows nest in the old greenhouse fan. Sound of happy baby birds getting full bellies. Pesky insects caught and eaten.

Thank you for summer's colorful pasture-lawn of clover purple, red, and white. Yellow trefoil warm and bright.

sprinkler spraying cool fountain over giggling little ones, toes in the grass, tongues on ice cubes

fences going up to keep awkward teenage chicks contained, scratching in grass, chasing each other over little bits of this and that

fuzzy bunnies with cool white fur

goats happy to see me waiting for sweet scented hay and nutty grain, sparing over the best treats heads butting with gentle thud

spinach pesto in the freezer waiting to grace winter's white with some summer green

summer salads with freshest greens

pea flowers, beet leaves, baby broccoli's

stories in the shade, impromptu skits

picnic table turned art studio, mixing colors, making rainbows

frisbee, kites, campfires, marshmallows

dirty feet, tanned faces, sun kissed hair

fairy hollows, tree forts, secret places

baths, fuzzy towels, clean sweet smelling snuggles, special songs, whispered bedtime prayers

fully lived days and nights of much needed refreshing rest

THANK YOU!

And, thank you all for your wonderful blogs that inspire me with your many strengths, wisdom and wonderful ideas. I love reading them all! You are a special group of ladies!!! :)

Just a Little Bit of Life

2011-07-12T17:41:00.004-05:00

Lettuce and Herbs

Hi Blog Pals-

Life's been busy here, so I haven't had time to blog much. We're busy with swimming lessons this summer (8 weeks in all, 2 for each child). Other than that it's just regular life here, except that I can't get as much done as usual.
Today it was up at 6:30, and outside by 7:00. First stop to the chicks to fill 3 feeders and one waterer, open the door and put up the wire "screen" for them.
Then feed, water and hay 17 rabbits; clean one exceptionally messy rabbit hutch; let the chickens out, throw scratch to them, collect eggs; hay the goats, wash their water bucket out, water them, give them each feed, replenish goat minerals, diatomacious earth (a natural, organic wormer and dietary supplement), and baking soda dispensers.
Then it was back to the house, bathe one little girl, make sure we'd all eaten, get to the car and head in to swimming lessons.
After lessons today we had a picnic with another homeschooling family. We had fun talking homeschooling, parenting, gardening, etc.
When we got home we all (the kids and I) headed to the garden to do some weeding, tie up the tomatoes (yet again!), and harvest some tom thumb and deer tongue lettuce, basil and cilantro. I NEED to do something with spinach and chard again soon, so I'll be checking all of your blogs for recipes. The beets need thinning, radishes need pulling up and re-planting...I'm going to stop thinking about it for now before my list gets too overwhelming.
While we were weeding, I put the goats on their tie outs to graze on the "pasture" that's our lawn. We've pretty much perfected out technique for tying them out in a way that's safe as long as we're near by. They each have a stake that twists into the ground with a ten foot dog tie out cable. Between the cable and the stake we added the rubber portion of a bungee cord so if they run it stops them gently. We put them near each other, but not near enough to get tangled. It works really well. They enjoy purple clover, birdsfoot trefoil, dandelions, plantain and grass.
When they'd finished helping me weed, the kids all went across the road to the neighbors. They have a "city" of forts they're building. They're busy creating laws to govern their city, and I'm pretty sure they're getting along better than those whom we've chosen to "govern" us. Maybe they should go to the capitol and straighten the mess out. ;)
So, that's about it so far today. Hope you're all having a wonderful week. I hope to catch up on reading all your blog posts soon. Blessings!

Goats and Good Food

2011-07-07T21:37:00.017-05:00

Hi All!
I've been busy since my last post. We had a wonderful (and HOT) 4th of July weekend with my family. Thanks to the awesome family at Mason Jar Farm we were able to get away for a couple of days knowing things were in good hands. It was so good for us, and really energized me so I was ready to get back to work. It's a good thing because when I got back here the garden had grown TONS, and needed attention. That hot weather sure brings out the pests along with all that wonderful growth!

I harvested a bunch of radishes and spinach.

Today, I harvested this Chard...

...and made this Feta Chard Pie from Thy Hand Hath Provided.

Of course, I had to change it. This time it was because I didn't have all the ingredients. I used shredded Swiss instead of the feta and 2 tablespoons of grated Romano instead of the Parmesan. I also used chard and spinach in it and sun dried tomatoes. It was SO GOOD, but I can't wait to try it the way it's supposed to be.

The goats continue to do well. I'm going to be looking for a good buck to breed them to in the next few months. Hopefully then I'll be able to have them bred by November or December and have kids by April or May and milk soon after. I'm loving having the goats. One of my favorite things is putting them on pasture, watching them and listening to the contented crunching as they eat. Their favorites are dandelions and raspberry leaves. Here are a few pics.

Garden Update II

2011-06-30T10:01:00.009-05:00

Basil is finally taking off.

Red Deer Tongue lettuce

Green Beans

Snow Peas (and weeds! I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow.)

Beefmaster tomato

Red and Green cabbage and Cauliflower

Nearly Wordless Wednesday: Garden Update

2011-06-29T18:37:00.004-05:00

These first three pics are of the tomato plants that froze. After all the foliage froze and I removed it, they grew suckers and are now blossoming.

broccoli

early girl baby tomato

The rest will have to wait until tomorrow because I can't get them to load right now. Sometimes it gets to be such a waste of time.

Spinach Artichole Dip

2011-06-27T15:59:00.004-05:00

Our local whole foods co-op makes an awesome spinach artichoke dip. I've long wanted to create one like it. With the spinach growing well, it was time! This is it! There is no noticeable difference between this and the co-op's except that mine turned out slightly thinner than theirs. This stuff rocks! My fave ways to enjoy it so far are with sea salt pita chips and in a whole wheat tortilla. I'm sure I'll find many more.

The ingredients:

about 4 cups spinach, loosely packed
1 can artichoke hearts
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
juice of one lemon
2 cloves garlic
1 bunch scallions (about 10)
1 roasted red pepper, skin and seeds removed
about 1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. fresh ground pepper

Disclaimer: I don't measure, so these are approximate. However, it's a very forgiving recipe and you can do this all to taste.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until minced. If you want certain things smaller, add them first and gravitate toward those ingredients you want chopped into larger pieces. Adding part or all of the lemon juice and mayonnaise with the first ingredients will help them whiz through the processor blades more efficiently, especially the spinach.

When you're finished, you should have this creamy, delicious party in a bowl, just waiting for your taste buds to show up. Yummy!

Growing Young Animals and Old Hens

2011-06-26T22:31:00.006-05:00

I was away for a day, and things really seemed to grow in that small amount of time, but then again I was really busy for a couple of days before that. I guess I failed to notice the progress that was happening last week. The garden has grown a lot, and the bunnies and chicks have too. Here's a picture of the bunnies. They're almost ready to begin weaning. The does will be bred again this week, after the bunnies are five weeks old (on Wednesday). A week later the weaning will begin with the heaviest ones. By the time they're seven weeks old they'll all be weaned and the does will have 2 weeks to rebuild their reserves and grow their new litters. By the first week in August each doe should have a second litter.

I forgot to take a picture of the chicks. They're now over two weeks old. They've graduated from the small cardboard circle I created in the brooder house. Now they have the whole thing to roam in, and I made a wire screen to put in the doorway so they have fresh air and can see out when it's warm. They seem very happy with the arrangements. They love to look outside and are very lively, "flying" onto the tops of the feeders. It's really entertaining to watch them.

We lost one of our old hens today. Actually we had to "put her down" as she had a prolapsed vent beyond treating, and was egg bound with broken bits of egg coming out. Because they're getting old, we're having some egg problems. I don't know if this happened really fast or we didn't notice it when it started. I feel pretty lousy thinking we may have missed some earlier sing that things were going awry. However, it's possible that it happened quickly and there were no earlier signs. Since the chickens are older and have been through a few molts, they're laying larger eggs. Sometimes this fouls up the works. Also, sometimes two eggs may try to come through at the same time. If an egg has a wrinkle or a flat side it may be that two eggs collided on their way out. Sometimes the larger eggs begin to have thin shells and break easily. This happens because the hens have the same amount of shell material to cover the larger eggs. A large egg with a thin shell might break just inside the vent causing all sorts of trouble.

Umm...that's not what I meant to talk about in this post. I apologize if that was TMI.

Any way, I hope the rest of our old hens make it for a few more weeks until we have time to butcher and can them. I hope to have some really great canned chicken to use this winter. These old hens have over an acre and a half to range in and look very healthy. People comment that they're the prettiest flock of chickens they've seen. Unfortunately that's probably because some of them aren't laying anymore. Most of them still are laying though, and they do look real pretty right now. I'm not at all grossed out by the thought of eating these old girls. I love their summer diet of plants and insects. It makes me happy to think of eating some great soups and casseroles with this meat and homegrown veggies. :)

Next post: garden pics, I hope.

First Salad and Mango Dressing

2011-06-23T17:03:00.005-05:00

Tonight we're having our first real salad from the garden. Yay! Spinach, lambs quarters and itty bitty Tom Thumb lettuces thinned from the row. Yes, I'm growing lambs quarters (or rather it's growing in my garden). We love it mixed with our salad greens, so wherever it pops up I let it stay until it's about to seed out. Officially I guess it's a wild edible that happens to be growing in my garden.

We'll be eating it with this dressing I made last week. I can call it "my recipe" now because it's been messed with considerably. I can never keep a recipe the way I found it, so most of them become originals. ;)

Maple Mango Dressing

flesh of one mango, or about 1c. frozen mango (I used frozen)
1/2 c. water (I used less, adding it at the end to get the consistency and intensity of flavor I wanted)
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp onion powder (or some minced onion or chives, as much as you want - I used a handful of chives)
a handful of fresh basil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional - I left it out)
about 2 T pure maple syrup (adjust for sweetness of the mango, and to taste)

Add all of the ingredients except water and half of the maple syrup to food processor and pulse until smooth and creamy. Adjust maple syrup for desired sweetness. Add water to reach desired strength and consistency.

This salad dressing was heavenly! My mouth is watering right now. I've got to go finish dinner. Enjoy! :)

A Quieter Week Than Usual

2011-06-19T21:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I said goodbye to my eldest two children for a whole week. Their dad drove them to camp. It was HARD seeing them go! They've been looking forward to camp for months now but I have to say that I don't look forward to it quite as much as them. It's almost too quiet around here!
I had all the chores to myself yesterday evening and today, but since it finally rained watering the gardens didn't have to be included in that today. It was so nice to see the plants getting a nice drenching.
Something seems to be feasting on the broccoli and cabbage in one of my gardens, but not the other. Hmm... I sprayed them with Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap and water tonight. With the rain it probably won't last long, but it did seem to help when I sprayed them a couple of weeks ago. I'm really not sure how often to apply the soapy solution to the plants, or if I should do it when the actual edible parts of the plants are forming or not. I'm not even sure which plants to use it on and for what pests. I guess I'm going to have to research that, but if anyone has any info for me I'd be grateful. Hint, hint. ;)
Today was a super laid back day for the little girls and I. Dan is still not back from bringing the kids to camp. He spent the night with my aunt and uncle before dropping them off today. It's a 5 to 6 hr. drive from home, so he enjoyed not having to make the whole trip in one day. That meant we could take the whole day at our own pace. We all slept in a bit more than the animals would have liked. I think they got their breakfast by 8:30. I'd planned to do some "school" with the little girls when we have rainy days, so we spent some time on that this A.M. Hattie and I reviewed some multiplication rules and ways to think about multiplication, and then reviewed the factors of 0,1,2,5,10 and 11 up to 12x. She actually likes flash cards and had a great time. :) It's always a treat for the teacher when her pupils enjoy learning! Dani and I worked on addition and reading. She did a great job reading to me, though she still thinks that she can't read. I can't wait until it dawns on her that she is reading! :) One of these days she's going to make the connection and she'll be flying solo like a fledgling leaving the nest. In fact, tonight she was saying things like, "Mom, if there was a b at the beginning of stop instead, it would say bop, right? And if there was a p at the start of go instead of a g, it would say po, and if the o was in front of the g, it would say og!?" I'm thrilled that she's starting to "get it".
After our "school" they helped me chop some rhubarb for making a rhubarb crisp tomorrow and we ate a lunch of peanut butter and rhubarb strawberry jam sandwiches and apple slices, watched a movie and worked together to make chocolate cupcakes for a snack. By then we were ready to get out for a while so we made a quick trip to town for a few groceries and a slice of pizza.
We got home with enough time to get the chores done before it was too dark to see in the barn (I'm so glad we're getting power to the barn this summer). The girls visited the bunnies and gathered eggs while I finished up.
We ended the evening making a town with lots of towers out of all the building blocks we could find. We really packed it full of fun and relaxation. I feel rejuvenated and ready for another week. :)

Change in Plans

2011-06-17T10:22:00.002-05:00

Well, I must say that today is very anticlimactic. After my work this week to prepare for the home school picnic, I had to cancel at the last minute. It became apparent last night that Dani had pink eye. I didn't think it would be a good plan to spread it to everyone else. Today I seem to lack motivation. My afternoon and evening suddenly feel a bit empty. That's putting me in the baking mood, so I think I'll go and make a gingerbread. And some whipped cream to go with it. Then I'll bring some to my hubby down the road. Ooh! I just got a phone call from a friend. Her hubby just caught a bunch of lake trout and is going to sell them to the Angry Trout. On the way past, they're dropping a couple of lbs off for us! I guess I'll save that gingerbread for dessert! Now I have to think up a good veggie dish to go with it. Too bad I'm not getting much of anything from the garden yet. One tiny handful of spinach is about all I'd get right now. A salad or some greens would be so good with fish...
I know what I'm going to do now! Rhubarb strawberry jam! I've been meaning to get at that for a while. I'm going to use fresh rhubarb and a couple packages of strawberries I've been saving in the freezer. The motivation seems to be back! :)

One of Those Days

2011-06-15T12:14:00.002-05:00

I'm still thankful for my life, even after yesterday afternoon. It would be at least mildly entertaining for someone else to read about so I thought I'd post.
Keep in mind as you read that I'm trying to prepare for company on Friday evening. I've invited all the home educating families in my area to a picnic and "farmish day" at our house.
The day started out pretty well. I felt good about how much time I had to finish all of my tasks for the day. I need all the time I can get (which is why I'm sitting at this computer for the second time today. I'm an excellent procrastinator. It's a real gift of mine.) Things went really well until about noon. I went out as usual to do the animal chores. I got to thinking that it hasn't rained in quite a while so I decided to turn on the sprinkler in the kitchen garden. I checked on the chicks and all seemed well. After that I went to the barn, opened up the chickens and threw them some scratch. (Molly comes along a bit later in the AM and gives them fresh H2O and gathers eggs.) Then it was off to the goats, who insist on being next. They get a flake of alfalfa and fresh water in the morning. Of course, I have to sit and talk to them for a while. I use that time to look closely at them and make sure all seems well.
Finally it's the rabbit's turn. They get fresh water, the does and bunnies get their feeders filled with pellets and they all get their hay racks filled with timothy hay. Sometimes if I feel particularly nice and the goats want to share their "candy" I give the rabbits some alfalfa.
Yesterday I had to also clean the goat barn so our company wouldn't object to the smell too much. That took quite a while, but I was still mildly on schedule. The kids pretty much equally helped and hindered the process of doing all these chores. They did a little work and also a lot of begging to hold bunnies (requiring some supervision on my part).
After finishing up in the barn I came to the house to get the kids rolling on their chores and posted about my thankfulness for this life. OK, this is where things began to go south...
I checked on the chicks again only to find one dying and many others getting pasty back sides. This meant I had to become nurse and gourmet cook for chicks. I got out my grain mill and coarsely ground corn and oats in equal measure, and mixed that 50/50 with chick starter. Then I grabbed the mineral oil and q-tips to clean the little chick bottoms of the dried poop. I think I've dealt with the last chick butt this morning. I hope. This took too much time, and in my mind I was thinking, "This wasn't supposed to happen today!" I dealt with that all afternoon, off and on.
Of course, nothing in the house got done (by me) except two loads of laundry. Sometime in the process I'd decided to clean and re-fill the hummingbird feeders. I accidentally spilled on the floor (yep - big sticky mess). By now I (even procrastinator extraordinaire) was beginning to feel a bit panicky. I was putting the hummer feeder back when I looked up to see...a wolf in my yard! Only it wasn't. It was about a 120 lbd. Alaskan Malamute/wolf mix wearing a collar. First thought was the chickens. Where are they? Oh no, I think we have a problem! The kids and I yell at the dog to "get out of here!" Dog does the opposite, coming right to us.
Panic panic...
my, you are sweet!...
what am I going to do with you?...
Tie dog to picnic table...
Ponder...
Ignore dog...
pet dog...
Finally, I left the dog tied to the picnic table and got ready to get daughter from riding lesson. As I was getting in the car I saw the neighbor driving slowly past and hoped he was looking for the dog. I put the super cute, friendly schedule breaker in my van and drove to the neighbors with him. Sure enough, the neighbor had been dog sitting. SO happy that I'm done with that problem, but tears behind my eyes as I have gotten nothing done that I needed to do, because there were too many things I NEEDED TO DO!
Then I found out it was only Tuesday when I'd thought it was Wednesday (I'd known that in the morning, but I lost a day sometime in the chaos). I was in the yard jumping up and down and shouting "hallelujah!" And here I am...
Still thankful for this life, and pleased to have gained a whole day that I'm going now to keep using wisely, I hope! :)
OK, that was very long, like my day yesterday. I apologize, and hope someone out there liked reading it. Have a beautiful afternoon!

Thankful for This Life

2011-06-14T11:19:00.004-05:00

This "homestead life" has all been so good for all of us! It's really great to work for the animals that are working for us. It's giving us all a better appreciation for the food that finally makes it to our table. Hattie was helping clean the goat barn today and we were talking about how she's helping to get the milk she needs (eventually). She's lactose intolerant, so the goats mean healthy raw milk that will be good for her - something she doesn't have available to her now.
Her milk choices consist of pasteurised goat milk, powdered goat milk, or lactose free cow milk. By the time any of those products reach her glass, I don't believe they are "milk" any more. I'm not sure they have any benefits over not drinking milk at all. I can't wait to give her her first glass of fresh goat milk!
All this work for our heat (wood), meat, vegetables, eggs, and (hopefully by spring) milk, also keeps us healthy in other ways. We get exercise and fresh air doing the work. Of course, this makes us hungry so we enjoy our wholesome whole foods much more. It also makes us much more thankful for our comforts.
This lifestyle isn't for everyone. Not everyone can or wants to live like this. In fact, in all honesty there are days when I don't want to live like this. Thankfully most of the time I enjoy it.
I also enjoy having my computer and internet, watching an occasional movie and going out for dinner with my family. I'm glad there are folks who are in the business of providing these things. I'm thankful there are people trying to farm on a more intense level so others can get high quality foods as well. Hopefully soon our government will find ways to make that easier for all of us, and not harder. I'm thankful to live in a land where we have so many choices available to us.
Thank you, God, for the miracle of your creation. Thank you that I get to see it so up close and personal. I don't take it for granted.
Well, that was quite a rambling post!

New Chicks and Growing Bunnies

2011-06-13T11:16:00.002-05:00

The bunnies have outgrown their nest box. They're really fun to watch as they begin to explore the hutch.

The chicks arrived this morning! All but one were healthy and well. One arrived dead. I haven't figured out which breed we lost, but it was one of the layers. Bummer.

Goat Cuteness on the Homestead

2011-06-08T09:59:00.004-05:00

I'm so glad I chose this breed of goat as my first goats. They're just the right size for me. I can handle them fairly easily, even when they're being stubborn (which they usually are). Cute, for sure, but stubborn. So far everything is going well. For now they're just hanging out and eating, pooping and being entertaining. I was very nervous about hoof trimming, but my first time going it alone went very well. No blood and a good level trim. I highly recommend a hoof plane. It helped a lot in adding the finishing touch to a nice level trim. It's also nice to have a helper. Molly did a great job helping to hold goats still.

The girls love their fort and slide. They play king of the hill, and run up onto it whenever they're frightened by anything. It's very entertaining for the goats and for us.

They're just the right size for the youngest human member of our family. They're usually gentle, but if they get a bit rowdy they're still pretty safe for her to be around.

Oh, they're just so cute! I love them, absolutely!

Cuteness on the Homestead

2011-06-07T09:45:00.006-05:00

We're talkin' major cute here! These little ones are at my favorite stage. They're 13 days old today. Their eyes are opened, and they're so much fun now. Perfect for snuggling!

Hattie takes a turn...

then Dani.

The "production" side of me is very interested in how each of these batches of young are developing. The batch in this photo are developing slower in every way, and has a definite runt. They're doing fine, just not spectacular.

This is the other batch. Even in a photo it's obvious they're rolly-polly little things. Developing fast and curiously exploring their little home. Yesterday one of these guys was even trying to escape the box. I'm sure that before three weeks they'll all be hopping out of the nest! This seems to be more than average growth, so I think we'll keep a doe from this breeding pair when we're ready to expand.