Storm

Storm is our new 'junior' herdsire that came back from Ca. with us.

Winterizing

 
Jeremiah and I installed the new tarps on the front of the barn this weekend. They are re-purposed used billboard tarps that we cut, installed grommets on and hung up.

I don't mind the open front barn much at all. I love it 3 seasons out of the year. I don't love it in the winter! However, the winter clothes we put on the barn should solve a lot of the issues I was having last winter. One of them was the wind. Cold is one thing. Wind with a side order of cold is quite another. Secondly, rain and snow during the worst of storms can blow half way into this 40' deep barn! That's somewhat of an issue when the goats only get the front 20', know what I mean?

We reconfigured the barn out of necessity for hay storage. If you'll remember, last year we removed all the old wood that had been used to keep horses stalled in the front half and hay was stored in the back 1/4 and the tack room in the other 1/4. I didn't like that the goats could (and did) congregate in the back 1/4 of the barn once we changed it, it was really hard to clean out and so we've changed it yet again they're delegated back to the front portion but they get both sides. I'll also get 2 kidding stalls instead of just the one now. Plus too, with all that hay in the back of the barn (which is the north side) it's built in insulation so it should be that much warmer in there come winter! We're so smart right?

Anyway, we have some tarps to install on the 2 lean to structures that house the bucks but we ran out of grommets and I'll have to order more. Lowes carries them but you have to buy the whole kit. We have two now. I don't need any of the tools to install the grommets. I need JUST the grommets!

We got one last load of hay in this morning (Monday). It was delivered this time! We have enough for sure but in my ongoing quest to find the least inexpensive way to keep the animals fed in the most optimal way, I wanted to try some prairie hay instead of the brome and alfalfa I have been feeding for the past year. Prairie is usually a bit cheaper especially in the round bales like we bought. I have over 100 square bales of brome in the barn that I'll probably sell when the first snow hits as I won't need all of it. We still have 100 bales of alfalfa in the shop sitting on the trailer that we need to unload!

It's a good feeling though, especially with the lack of hay everywhere, that we're overstocked for winter. It's such a huge loads off of our minds, I tell ya. It's taken a year to find good suppliers for hay and has been one of the major hurdles for us but we can finally let out a sigh of relief.

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Revisiting The Poopy Little Potty

Alternately titled: 3 Weeks

I wrote this a few years ago when Andrew was two and we were still living in California. When I have rough days, I reread this and trudge on knowing that even poopy days can be funny...eventually. I thought you might enjoy it too.

The short version of what happens around here in 3 weeks in no coherent order. Some names may have been changed to protect the innocent, er...to respect the dead...whichever.

• wake up
• cook a meal
• eat a meal
• clean up after a meal
• load meal dishes into dishwasher
• convince 2 year old he no longer needs his little potty
• wave bye bye to little potty
• take little potty outside (but not far enough away that 2 year can't eventually find it)
• feed goats
• milk goats
• preschool field trip to local park (we walk)
• 5 year old preschooler breaks away from my hand and nearly runs into street
• retrieve 5 year old and feel like an unfit chaperon
• not invited back to school
• feed goats
• milk goats
• buy grain
• adolescent breakdown (a.k.a. throwing a fit)
• sleep
• eat
• work on new goat pasture
• run electric wire for new goat pasture
• cook a meal
• eat a meal
• clean up after a meal
• adolescent breakdown
• load meal dishes into dishwasher
• feed goats
• milk goats
• fight with ill mannered strong ugly Hephzibah goat
• laundry
• take daughter to preschool
• laundry
• hang laundry out
• adolescent breakdown
• pick up daughter from preschool
• bring laundry in
• throw laundry on chair in corner
• forget about  ignore heaped unfolded laundry in chair
• cook a meal
• eat a meal
• clean up after a meal
• load meal dishes into dishwasher
• feed goats
• milk goats
• fight with ill mannered ugly Hephzibah goat...again
• quiet time with husband toss husband a kiss on the fly as he walks out the door again for work, er school...wait what day is it again???
• cook a meal
• hear about how my 5 year old isn't a vegetarian and will not eat meat
• explain to 5 year old that not being a vegetarian means you eat meat
• so eat the damn dern meat!
• fed up with non-vegetarian non-meat eating 5 year old and I lie saying cow died peacefully in its sleep and if she and ill mannered ugly Hephzibah goat don't behave, ill mannered ugly Hephzibah goat will be on non-vegetarian non-meat eating 5 year old's plate next!
• laughing 2 year old explains he's going to eat Hephzibah goat because she pushes him down in the poop
• disgruntled 5 year old
• satisfied mother
• eat a meal
• find 2 year old swigging my beer
• smile because it's been a long dang day and almost think I hear CPS knocking on my door
• clean up after a meal
• load meal dishes into dishwasher
• sleep
• find son dragging in little potty from outside
• tell 2 year old to take potty back outside
• 2 year old doesn't obey
• adolescent breakdown
• scold 2 year old and put in a time out for being disobedient
• throw potty back outside on the porch
• cook a meal
• eat a meal
• clean up after a meal
• load meal dishes into dishwasher
• answer door bell
• hand neighbor egg salad sandwiches I had made earlier from eggs of over producing chickens.
• walk neighbor to the gate
• step up onto porch and notice there is something in little potty
• decide it's dirt but swear it looks like poop
• realize that neighbors were JUST standing on front porch probably thinking how gross that there is a little potty outside on the porch with poop in it and MUST think I am disgusting for throwing poopy little potty outside on porch instead of cleaning it!
• cook a meal
• eat a meal
• clean up after a meal
• load meal dishes into dishwasher
• ignore little putrid poopy porch potty
• feed goats
• milk goats
• sleep...

Thanksgiving Menu

Dear Cousins,

In our ongoing effort to live frugally off the land -and the fact you'll be coming so far, I really don't expect you to bring the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, pie and everything else too- I've put together the Thanksgiving Day menu. Read it over and if you need any revisions due to dietary concerns, please let me know.

We had thought about just plain dressing, maybe even going wild and doing a cornbread dressing but all summer long we've had a toad in our garage who has become rather large. He scares the children by jumping out as they venture in to feed the dog in socks or bare feet. I've heard of sausage stuffing before so I figured, what the heck...they eat frog in France, with enough seasoning, I think toad dressing would be really good stuffed inside a bird!

Speaking of the pièce de résistance though, I think we're going to forgo the bird. We considered goat but in an effort to let them grow a bit larger to maximize our "harvest", we decided against either when last night there was a 'possum on the porch that was eating the cat food. He looked rather large and we thought that would certainly be a divine treat! So, unless you object, we're having 'possum. I really think the toad stuffing will lend itself quite well to 'possum!

As for sides, it's been a tough year for the garden due to the lack of rain and persistent 100+ degree temps. All we really got out of it were heaps of dried corn stalks and pricker bushes. So, I'm not entirely sure we'll be having a side or if we'll just be dining on toad stuffing and roasted 'possum while we make corn stalk dolls with prickers for eyes.

Come to think of it, we did get a pretty good rain a few weeks ago that brought back my watermelon plants from the brink of extinction. We never did get any melons off of it but the leaves look pretty good. Maybe I could use some of that extra toad stuffing and do like the Greek do with their stuffed grape leaves. 

The walnut harvest was pretty poor too but we did manage to salvage a few before the squirrels got them. Jeremiah said that squirrel hunting should only happen in the winter due to specific parasites that don't survive in the cold. Squirrel is out of the question for the main course or as a side and with the 'possum and toad, I think we're got the protein covered anyway. As for the walnuts, we don't have a cinnamon tree but do you think black locust tree bark would due in a pinch? Sugar is a staple so I'm kinda wondering how lightly toasted walnuts with a black locust tree bark simple syrup would taste. Yes, that should make a delicious dessert and should be really good over home made goat's milk ice cream.


Variety will be sparse, but I think we'll be okay in the end. It's mostly about family anyway, right?

My love to all, can't wait to see you for Thanksgiving!

P.S. Don't even worry about the pickles and olives, I really think this 'possum will come pretty darn close to those behemoth birds you all buy anyway! They'll be plenty!

We're frugal...and crazy!

Make no mistake, we know how to save a buck. We also feel excitement at the thought of old time farming. Well, okay I do. If Jeremiah had his way, all baling the hay on the property would mean is pushing a few buttons  for coordinates and sitting in an air conditioned cab while the tractor did absolutely everything else. As it stands, A. we do not have the money for a $100K+ tractor and implements that do all that and B. we have nowhere near the property to require that.

What do we have? Let me rephrase that, what do I have? I have a desire to get out there in the coolness of the morning and cut hay...the old fashioned way...with a scythe. I seriously doubt it would be worth it to pay someone to come out and cut and bale it for us. Even swathing it (cutting it) would be cost prohibitive I think. We could do it on a shares system, but I' really like to try my hand at cutting it all by hand.

Jeremiah said when he was younger he could beat the pants off his brothers in a head to head competition- weed eater vs. scythe. In which, he had the scythe and they had the weed eater. I don't doubt it, I've watched videos. And while I am not so naive to think that there isn't some work involved, it could be fun...if for just a little while anyway. So, that's the plan. Where I will find time for this hand cutting and hand baling, I don't know. Maybe by next year somehow in the infinite universe of perpetual time, more time will be created and somehow my body will become less tired and able to work longer. Pipe dream? Perhaps. I'd still like to give it a whirl though.

As far as this hand baling...I'm not so big on the hay stack thing. I thought, for sure in this day and age someone has built a hand baler!! Sure enough, you Google search "hand baler" and up pops a device used a lot in Texas for pine straw bales. Pine straw is nothing more than pine needles baled up and used for landscaping purposes though I am sure this type of hand baler was probably used way way back when in some form before baling machinery came out, or was in its early stages or whatever. ANYWAY, because we have infinite time on our hands (guffaw!), I'd like to build one of them fancy hand balers too. it consists of nothing more than a tall box with a front door and a plunger. Easy enough right? Yeah, I could just see the kids out there with me on a cool sweltering July morning happily begrudgingly carrying arms fulls of sweet smelling itchy dry hay to the hand baler and the joy disgust an disdain on their faces when out pops another heavy bail to move into the barn. Yep, sounds like a right mighty good time!

Kitties and sewing

As usual, we're busy!

A few weekends ago we headed north for our last load of hay. I dare say we'll have plenty but with the way things are, one can not be too prepared. I certainly hope this was just a funny year with the lack of rain. Next year I hope to be baling our own hay, scythe cut (by hand) and baled by hand as well. More on that later.

While up getting hay, we also spent the day at Jo's helping install a bathtub. They adopted 2 kittens and while the kids did not specifically ask for a kitty of their own, they sure did like them. Who couldn't love an adorable kitty? I sure do, at someone elses house! So this non-asking on the part of the children turned into these...a "Beauty" and a "Heidi". Don't ask me how it happened but those are our kitties on our bed! Exactly how does one drive 90 miles to pick up hay and help install a bathtub and come home with 2 kitties? Yeah, I'm kinda stumped too!


I managed to barely get done with fair sewing in time to turn my projects in. Jo and her kids came down Monday and we went to the fair for the day. My diaper took a 3rd place ribbon in the "other than classified" category. As far as I can tell my dress did not place at all. Who would of thunk that a cloth diaper would take 3rd when they probably didn't even know what it was???

Had I known they were into pretty and not function in the dress category, I wouldn't have bothered. Yes, Rachel did get a nice dress out of it but it seems the winners, in this great state of function and form and grit, prefer a wear once, stay the hell out of the dirt and sit quietly with your hands folded in your lap type of outfit. Am I jealous? Not really, just more determined for next year. The other outfits were nice, no doubt. Next year I need more lace and frills apparently and I'll go smaller scale with it...a concentrated form so as not to use so much fabric while making this stay the hell out of the dirt, sit with your hands folded in your lap type of outfit.