Sunday, October 2, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
No Need to Go Seeking for New Experiences
Good Morning! Well, I must say, you just never know what will come in a day. I grew up about 40 or so miles from where I currently live and have spent my whole life (from about age 3) in this area. I remember when the northern limits of the city were at the college and Shipyard Blvd. was the last interesting thing to see going south. Monkey Junction used to be this weird intersection in the middle of nowhere that only those going to Carolina Beach would actually see. I remember when they built 90% of the malls and shopping centers currently in existence. I remember when Laney High School came into being. Forty-some years of watching a quiet southern town degenerate into a large, bustling, mock-up of a northern metropolis.
But the one thing that has remained relatively constant has been the climate. Oh yes, some years were colder or warmer than others. I remember big snow, little snow, and no snow years......the certainty of the humidity during the summer......and the possibility of ice storms in the winter and hurricanes in the summer. I've seen a lot of both.
Hurricane Irene's current threat to make landfall in our vicinity is leading to the inevitable clearing of shelves of water, batteries, and bread. The fact that I've become a "prepper" has made Irene's forecasted appearance much less stressful since most of what I need is already on hand. There is the "battening down of the hatches" which will need to be completed by Friday AM at the latest, but even most of those supplies are already on hand and simply require installing. As I said, most of this is "old hat" to me, having grown up here and experienced quite a few hurricanes.
Tornadoes are a different story altogether. The only time that I can remember tornado threats being issued was in conjunction with a hurricane's landfall. We grew up making jokes about not wanting to live in the midwest because of the tornadoes and how at least with a hurricane you had plenty of warning. But as of about 5 years ago, the possibility of a tornado accompanying a thunder storm has become more of a recurring reality. And one for which my area is woefully unprepared.
The first problem is that our abundance of trees makes the sighting of a tornado almost impossible. We can only depend on the appearance of effects (such as wind, hail, and debris) to give us warning that one is imminent. There are also no sirens in place to sound. If you are not glued to your television in the first place or have a weather radio, you are unlikely to know that there is any possibility of severe weather. And finally, no one around here has a basement or underground storm shelter. There is, of course, a good reason for this. Our water table is so high that any attempt at building a basement or storm shelter would lead to a very muddy swimming pool. (I remember when my parents put in an in-ground swimming pool and the contractor had to spend a couple of weeks pumping water out of the hole before they could install the lining). We are looking at building a concrete block building and covering it with earth which would serve as a type of storm shelter/root cellar, if we can figure out how to keep out the snakes and fire ants. But, while less so than with a hurricane, our area is still capable of the basics in dealing with the results of tornadoes such as power outages, downed trees, etc.
Today, however, we experienced something which I have never been through before........an earthquake! A friend had come to visit and we were sharing a moment of quiet conversation when my house began to.......wobble. Sort of like when my washing machine is on spin with a large load.......only much stronger. At first neither of us said anything and then she asked if I was washing clothes. When I replied no, we both just kind of stared at each other. Finally we decided to get up and go outside. The fact that my house is 100 years old and had weathered numerous hurricanes and storms made the shaking, seeming from out of the blue, extremely unnerving. The fact that my house is built on brick pillars that are also 100 years old just added to the uneasiness of the situation. We did return to the house after a few minutes, but it wasn't until one of my daughters found out from facebook that a 5.8 earthquake had occurred in Virginia that we both relaxed. While the occurrence of the earthquake itself was a new and unsettling experience, it at least made the fact that my house had shaken a little easier to take. Trust me, any logical reason for your house to suddenly begin shaking is welcome.
So, another thing has been crossed off my bucket list. Of course, experiencing an earthquake was never on my bucket list, but (as with my to do list) adding it was easy and immediately crossing it off gave a sense of satisfaction which comes from having completed a job.
Well, it's time to start another day. Life here is never boring.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
But the one thing that has remained relatively constant has been the climate. Oh yes, some years were colder or warmer than others. I remember big snow, little snow, and no snow years......the certainty of the humidity during the summer......and the possibility of ice storms in the winter and hurricanes in the summer. I've seen a lot of both.
Hurricane Irene's current threat to make landfall in our vicinity is leading to the inevitable clearing of shelves of water, batteries, and bread. The fact that I've become a "prepper" has made Irene's forecasted appearance much less stressful since most of what I need is already on hand. There is the "battening down of the hatches" which will need to be completed by Friday AM at the latest, but even most of those supplies are already on hand and simply require installing. As I said, most of this is "old hat" to me, having grown up here and experienced quite a few hurricanes.
Tornadoes are a different story altogether. The only time that I can remember tornado threats being issued was in conjunction with a hurricane's landfall. We grew up making jokes about not wanting to live in the midwest because of the tornadoes and how at least with a hurricane you had plenty of warning. But as of about 5 years ago, the possibility of a tornado accompanying a thunder storm has become more of a recurring reality. And one for which my area is woefully unprepared.
The first problem is that our abundance of trees makes the sighting of a tornado almost impossible. We can only depend on the appearance of effects (such as wind, hail, and debris) to give us warning that one is imminent. There are also no sirens in place to sound. If you are not glued to your television in the first place or have a weather radio, you are unlikely to know that there is any possibility of severe weather. And finally, no one around here has a basement or underground storm shelter. There is, of course, a good reason for this. Our water table is so high that any attempt at building a basement or storm shelter would lead to a very muddy swimming pool. (I remember when my parents put in an in-ground swimming pool and the contractor had to spend a couple of weeks pumping water out of the hole before they could install the lining). We are looking at building a concrete block building and covering it with earth which would serve as a type of storm shelter/root cellar, if we can figure out how to keep out the snakes and fire ants. But, while less so than with a hurricane, our area is still capable of the basics in dealing with the results of tornadoes such as power outages, downed trees, etc.
Today, however, we experienced something which I have never been through before........an earthquake! A friend had come to visit and we were sharing a moment of quiet conversation when my house began to.......wobble. Sort of like when my washing machine is on spin with a large load.......only much stronger. At first neither of us said anything and then she asked if I was washing clothes. When I replied no, we both just kind of stared at each other. Finally we decided to get up and go outside. The fact that my house is 100 years old and had weathered numerous hurricanes and storms made the shaking, seeming from out of the blue, extremely unnerving. The fact that my house is built on brick pillars that are also 100 years old just added to the uneasiness of the situation. We did return to the house after a few minutes, but it wasn't until one of my daughters found out from facebook that a 5.8 earthquake had occurred in Virginia that we both relaxed. While the occurrence of the earthquake itself was a new and unsettling experience, it at least made the fact that my house had shaken a little easier to take. Trust me, any logical reason for your house to suddenly begin shaking is welcome.
So, another thing has been crossed off my bucket list. Of course, experiencing an earthquake was never on my bucket list, but (as with my to do list) adding it was easy and immediately crossing it off gave a sense of satisfaction which comes from having completed a job.
Well, it's time to start another day. Life here is never boring.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Feeling Better
Good Morning! Oh my, the cooler temps are helping so much. Even though we remain in the high 80's the humidity level has decreased dramatically and once again we are all enjoying the farm. Things seem to get done so much quicker when you aren't weighed down by the heat. We've also had several storms which delivered 2-3 inches of rain each, so the grass and plants are perking up.
Yesterday I finally had a chance to make some more soap. I'm working on some of the fall scents hoping to have 5 different kinds available by October 1st. The smell of fall in the my kitchen just seems to lighten my mood. To me, creating things, whether it be crochet, knit, soap, sewing, etc., is so relaxing and gives me such a sense of accomplishment. I'm also hoping to get everything up on ebay, including some gift baskets.
It is so easy for me to get distracted by things. I'm one of those people who finds learning anything new to be fascinating. I'm always ready to say "That looks neat. Let's try that!" Unfortunately that usually requires me to drop something that I have already been developing and trying to get up and running. I must have 100+ projects that are 70% done. Recently I've been thinking about getting my Ham Radio Technician's License and have been studying a little whenever I had the chance. Then a good friend informed me that they were giving the test this Saturday and immediately my mind says "I can study all week and be ready". However, this would mean putting other projects on hold, some of them longstanding projects in the Making Money category. Fortunately for me, Ray has a firm hold on what is important and can be accomplished in a day, unlike myself who thinks that I can always cram just a little more in. His suggestion is to put that on hold and work on it during the less busy winter months. He's so wise.
Well, the sun is up and the chores are waiting. I'm also hoping to get some Sunflower soap made and maybe even some more cleaning and organizing done.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Yesterday I finally had a chance to make some more soap. I'm working on some of the fall scents hoping to have 5 different kinds available by October 1st. The smell of fall in the my kitchen just seems to lighten my mood. To me, creating things, whether it be crochet, knit, soap, sewing, etc., is so relaxing and gives me such a sense of accomplishment. I'm also hoping to get everything up on ebay, including some gift baskets.
It is so easy for me to get distracted by things. I'm one of those people who finds learning anything new to be fascinating. I'm always ready to say "That looks neat. Let's try that!" Unfortunately that usually requires me to drop something that I have already been developing and trying to get up and running. I must have 100+ projects that are 70% done. Recently I've been thinking about getting my Ham Radio Technician's License and have been studying a little whenever I had the chance. Then a good friend informed me that they were giving the test this Saturday and immediately my mind says "I can study all week and be ready". However, this would mean putting other projects on hold, some of them longstanding projects in the Making Money category. Fortunately for me, Ray has a firm hold on what is important and can be accomplished in a day, unlike myself who thinks that I can always cram just a little more in. His suggestion is to put that on hold and work on it during the less busy winter months. He's so wise.
Well, the sun is up and the chores are waiting. I'm also hoping to get some Sunflower soap made and maybe even some more cleaning and organizing done.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Friday, August 12, 2011
Cleaning and Inspiration for More
Good Morning! Once again a long time between posts. I wish I could say that I've been too busy and I should have been, but to be honest the unrelenting hot weather has finally gotten to most of the family. We are so tired of walking out at 6AM and being hit with the warm damp air, of having wringing wet clothes by 7AM, of not being able to get outside and DO anything after about noon,........you get the picture. The warmer it is, the longer the morning chores seem to take, which pushes back other jobs, so that before you know it the morning is shot and there's really nothing to show for it. The afternoon is even worse sometimes as, after battling the heat all morning, no one feels like doing anything and we retreat into a dark room and nap. Lower temperatures and some cloudy days are in the forecast for the coming week, so I'm hoping this will break the cloud of depression and laziness which seems to be hanging over us all.
I don't know about you, but my kitchen is work central. It's where everything gets done......and dropped. During canning season I put up an extra long table to hold the canned goods to cool before putting them inwhatever vacant spot I can find the pantry. Of course, being a flat surface, this table seems to attract all manner of other things like a magnet. It also blocks a good portion of the kitchen from cleaning, so dust has a tendency to collect for the summer awhile before I get a chance to clean it. Well, this is the week. I started by putting away everything that had collected on the table. When I took down the table it actually fell apart, so out it went. Then I cleaned off and dusted the shelf above the windows which holds my stained glass house collection (purchased before children) as well as various and sundry knickknacks deemed necessary for decor. Since I am currently in a purging fit, I got rid of everything except my houses and a cookie jar my sister had given me. The openness of the shelves looks so much simpler and lighter. I also know that cleaning it will take a lot less time, so maybe I'll be able to get someone to do it more often.
Yesterday, I cleaned both ceiling fans in the kitchen. I'm ashamed to say that the dust had gotten so bad on them that, occasionally, they would throw large hunks of dust off everywhere. They look so much better.
Today, my goal is to take down the curtains and air them out while I clean the windows. I used to put my curtains in the dryer on air fluff to remove the dust, but since that broke at the beginning of the year, I suppose I will need to pray for a good breeze to do the same thing. I also want to clean the one remaining light fixture in the kitchen.
I can already feel my spirit and mood lifting.
I found a new blog the other day, Life at Providence Lodge (http://providencelodge.blogspot.com/). What an awesome, inspiring blog!!!! One post had a thought which I think will stay with me all of my life: "In a large family, the mama either has to be a slave to her family, or teach them how to work together to make home a nice place to be, which takes management skills. Her other option, is to live in a hovel where nobody wants to be, in unorganized chaos, feeling depressed." This has been me for the last 12 years. When we first moved into this house, my children (aged 11,6,6, and 4) were well trained in keeping a house by virtue of having one on the market. We all pitched in and were actually a happy lot. But somewhere along the line I dropped the ball. I like to blame it on the fact that my mother-in-law's things were everywhere in this house and I didn't want the children to break anything, or that with 10 people (two families) with all of their belongings piled into the house, there was really no where to put anything, so cleaning was too difficult for the children to handle, etc. While they sound nice these are in fact just excuses which I have used to lower my standards to levels unheard of except in the government. The above quote has challenged me to make the changes necessary to make my home a "nice place to be", hence the cleaning up and cleaning out. I can't do it by myself. I will need the cooperation of everyone, even if it is only the having the willingness to accept some retraining. But I at least feel as if I have a direction and a goal to attain, not to mention the feeling that the goal is attainable.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
I don't know about you, but my kitchen is work central. It's where everything gets done......and dropped. During canning season I put up an extra long table to hold the canned goods to cool before putting them in
Yesterday, I cleaned both ceiling fans in the kitchen. I'm ashamed to say that the dust had gotten so bad on them that, occasionally, they would throw large hunks of dust off everywhere. They look so much better.
Today, my goal is to take down the curtains and air them out while I clean the windows. I used to put my curtains in the dryer on air fluff to remove the dust, but since that broke at the beginning of the year, I suppose I will need to pray for a good breeze to do the same thing. I also want to clean the one remaining light fixture in the kitchen.
I can already feel my spirit and mood lifting.
I found a new blog the other day, Life at Providence Lodge (http://providencelodge.blogspot.com/). What an awesome, inspiring blog!!!! One post had a thought which I think will stay with me all of my life: "In a large family, the mama either has to be a slave to her family, or teach them how to work together to make home a nice place to be, which takes management skills. Her other option, is to live in a hovel where nobody wants to be, in unorganized chaos, feeling depressed." This has been me for the last 12 years. When we first moved into this house, my children (aged 11,6,6, and 4) were well trained in keeping a house by virtue of having one on the market. We all pitched in and were actually a happy lot. But somewhere along the line I dropped the ball. I like to blame it on the fact that my mother-in-law's things were everywhere in this house and I didn't want the children to break anything, or that with 10 people (two families) with all of their belongings piled into the house, there was really no where to put anything, so cleaning was too difficult for the children to handle, etc. While they sound nice these are in fact just excuses which I have used to lower my standards to levels unheard of except in the government. The above quote has challenged me to make the changes necessary to make my home a "nice place to be", hence the cleaning up and cleaning out. I can't do it by myself. I will need the cooperation of everyone, even if it is only the having the willingness to accept some retraining. But I at least feel as if I have a direction and a goal to attain, not to mention the feeling that the goal is attainable.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
I Won........a Gun?!
Good Morning! Yesterday was like a sign from Yahweh that fall will indeed come. At least for the first part of the day it was cooler, there was a wind blowing, and the air felt much better. In the latter half of the day it did warm up but was cloudy and breezy. After Saturday and Sunday's 100+ temperatures it was very welcome.
Unfortunately it was also one of those days where it felt like you struggled to get nothing done. The morning chores were late getting started and so didn't get finished until almost noon. Some schoolwork with the youngers came next, but was interrupted by lunch. My goals of finishing the laundry and making tomato sauce went unaccomplished. Before I knew it, the supper hour had rolled around and it was time to do chores again. Days like that have a tendency to leave me feeling drained and depressed.
The business side of life did well as I made quite a few sales. That always tends to brighten up things.
On another note, I was notified last week that I had won a Mossburg 12 gauge shotgun in a raffle. Last May Ray, several of the children, and I attended a local gun and knife show. They were raffling off several items, including an awesome crossbow. Ray and I had been wanting to get a crossbow for some time, but the expense had held us back. So, on a whim, I bought several tickets. Last Thursday they did the actual drawing and I got the shotgun. It must be a nice gun, since several male friends are envious, but honestly you can put what I know about guns themselves into a thimble and still have room for your finger. I do know how to fire and am a pretty good shot, if I do say so myself, but just looking at guns I couldn't tell a 30/30 from a .22. And, since the crossbow was what I was really interested in, I can't even tell you what the gun looks like. But now I at least have my own gun and can join the family hunts this fall. Maybe I'll even be able to put some deer in the freezer..............I hope they won't make me dress it out.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Unfortunately it was also one of those days where it felt like you struggled to get nothing done. The morning chores were late getting started and so didn't get finished until almost noon. Some schoolwork with the youngers came next, but was interrupted by lunch. My goals of finishing the laundry and making tomato sauce went unaccomplished. Before I knew it, the supper hour had rolled around and it was time to do chores again. Days like that have a tendency to leave me feeling drained and depressed.
The business side of life did well as I made quite a few sales. That always tends to brighten up things.
On another note, I was notified last week that I had won a Mossburg 12 gauge shotgun in a raffle. Last May Ray, several of the children, and I attended a local gun and knife show. They were raffling off several items, including an awesome crossbow. Ray and I had been wanting to get a crossbow for some time, but the expense had held us back. So, on a whim, I bought several tickets. Last Thursday they did the actual drawing and I got the shotgun. It must be a nice gun, since several male friends are envious, but honestly you can put what I know about guns themselves into a thimble and still have room for your finger. I do know how to fire and am a pretty good shot, if I do say so myself, but just looking at guns I couldn't tell a 30/30 from a .22. And, since the crossbow was what I was really interested in, I can't even tell you what the gun looks like. But now I at least have my own gun and can join the family hunts this fall. Maybe I'll even be able to put some deer in the freezer..............I hope they won't make me dress it out.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Monday, July 25, 2011
New Experiences
Good Morning! The heat here has been extreme to say the least. Temperatures in the 100+ range are very hard to deal with, especially when the humidity makes the air difficult to breathe. Getting up early and getting the outside work done quickly has become of paramount importance. After that we only venture outside to check the stock and give fresh water. There is a lot of outdoor work just sitting waiting for cooler temperatures. Afternoons have become indoor work time, so you would think that some would actually be getting accomplished. But way too often the morning work in the heat has wiped us out and a nap becomes a necessity.
The Boer kids, Danielle and Bounder, are spending their last night with their mom. Today they will officially be put with the other kids full time. This was the first time that we have had Boer kids that we have kept until weaning. Several years ago we had a couple who purchased our brand new kids with the promise that they would come get milk from us and bottle feed. After about 3 weeks they quit showing up and informed us that they had weaned the kids. These kids later died from various problems. Now we do not sell any kids before weaning.
This week I will be clipping hooves, deworming, and grooming the cashmeres and Boers. Next week I hope to begin breeding. My plan is to leave the bucks in with the does August and September. The heat, however, may greatly affect my plans. Most of the goats do not begin cycling until we begin to get cold fronts moving through that drastically lower the temperature. So, depending on how it goes, I may have to leave the bucks in an extra month.
This year is the first year that we have actually had our own bucks. Before we have always used other people's bucks. This had it's own set of problems, since it is sometimes difficult to catch a doe in heat. If you did, then you had to drop everything (and hope the other person could, too) and take the doe over to the other farm. Sometimes the trip alone was enough to throw the doe out of heat. All of this hauling back and forth made the fall extremely hectic. Keeping a buck comes with downsides also. The biggest ones being housing and feeding, but we think that the convenience and control will more that offset that.
We have finally gotten at least our sow, Penelope, home. We are struggling to get a pen up for the boar, however. The temperatures make it impossible for Ray to get much done when he gets home, so it is mostly his projects that are sitting. I don't blame him one bit. It just looks like it may be closer to fall before we can get it done. Penelope is due to farrow in mid-August. That will certainly be a new experience. While we've raised several pigs for meat, this marks the first time we've actually had pigs for breeding. I can't wait to get see the baby pigs!!! Penelope is so much different from the pigs we've had before. Our main source for pigs has been the local contract hog farmers, who would donate one to various events and then not be able to take it back. We've even raised one who was found on the side of the road after having fallen off a nursery truck. They tended to be difficult to handle and less than personable. Penelope always comes up to the fence if I am close by. Since the milking stand is close to her pen, we carry on long conversations during milkings. She loves to be brushed and absolutely adores cold milk. Right now we have her in the small, off-the-ground pen that we have used previously for raising pigs, but we hope to have her in a larger area on the ground as soon as the weather permits more outside work.
So, this year is full of new experiences for us. But for now, the sun is lighting the sky and I had better get to work if I don't want to get caught out in the heat.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The Boer kids, Danielle and Bounder, are spending their last night with their mom. Today they will officially be put with the other kids full time. This was the first time that we have had Boer kids that we have kept until weaning. Several years ago we had a couple who purchased our brand new kids with the promise that they would come get milk from us and bottle feed. After about 3 weeks they quit showing up and informed us that they had weaned the kids. These kids later died from various problems. Now we do not sell any kids before weaning.
This week I will be clipping hooves, deworming, and grooming the cashmeres and Boers. Next week I hope to begin breeding. My plan is to leave the bucks in with the does August and September. The heat, however, may greatly affect my plans. Most of the goats do not begin cycling until we begin to get cold fronts moving through that drastically lower the temperature. So, depending on how it goes, I may have to leave the bucks in an extra month.
This year is the first year that we have actually had our own bucks. Before we have always used other people's bucks. This had it's own set of problems, since it is sometimes difficult to catch a doe in heat. If you did, then you had to drop everything (and hope the other person could, too) and take the doe over to the other farm. Sometimes the trip alone was enough to throw the doe out of heat. All of this hauling back and forth made the fall extremely hectic. Keeping a buck comes with downsides also. The biggest ones being housing and feeding, but we think that the convenience and control will more that offset that.
We have finally gotten at least our sow, Penelope, home. We are struggling to get a pen up for the boar, however. The temperatures make it impossible for Ray to get much done when he gets home, so it is mostly his projects that are sitting. I don't blame him one bit. It just looks like it may be closer to fall before we can get it done. Penelope is due to farrow in mid-August. That will certainly be a new experience. While we've raised several pigs for meat, this marks the first time we've actually had pigs for breeding. I can't wait to get see the baby pigs!!! Penelope is so much different from the pigs we've had before. Our main source for pigs has been the local contract hog farmers, who would donate one to various events and then not be able to take it back. We've even raised one who was found on the side of the road after having fallen off a nursery truck. They tended to be difficult to handle and less than personable. Penelope always comes up to the fence if I am close by. Since the milking stand is close to her pen, we carry on long conversations during milkings. She loves to be brushed and absolutely adores cold milk. Right now we have her in the small, off-the-ground pen that we have used previously for raising pigs, but we hope to have her in a larger area on the ground as soon as the weather permits more outside work.
So, this year is full of new experiences for us. But for now, the sun is lighting the sky and I had better get to work if I don't want to get caught out in the heat.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Quiet Country - Not Today
Good Morning! My goodness! I knew that the Boer kids weren't going to like being separated from mom and each other. After all they had always been together. I just didn't expect it to be so loud so long. After they had had their grain for the morning, I put Bounder on a lead and headed for the buck pen. He was fine until he realized I was leading him out of the goat pen and then he started up. Which, of course, brought mom rushing away from the hay to check things out. Their cries blended together for most of the trip. Mom quieted down when she realized that she could still hear him. The other bucks tried to play with him, but he just stood at the gate and cried all day. Danielle, who is always ready for adventure, went to visit the other doe kids with hardly a sound. About lunchtime, though, she was ready for a good nap with momma and began to register her complaints. The rest of the day was somewhat loud. Who knew that 2 little kids could make so much noise. Poor Bounder was so hoarse he could barely make a sound when he got back to his mom. Both of them rushed to their mom and tried to nurse, but she pushed them away until she got her food. It's nice to know that mom and I are on the same page. But, somehow, I don't think they will be as easy to catch tomorrow.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Monday, July 18, 2011
Preparing for a New Season
Good Morning! The heat in our area continues. After a brief respite today's high is supposed to be back in the 90's and an increase in humidity. This is really hard on us, but especially hard on the animals. We will be going out and spraying down some of the animals at about 1-2 PM. With the high heat we may be having to do it sooner and several times. It's also important to check water supplies and even dump warm water and replace with fresh, cool water. The Alpines and Pashminas are especially affected by the high heat. Their small ears do not allow much heat transfer, as opposed to Nubians and Boers. My Black Angus calves also will probably be appreciative of a good spray down.
Faline, the new Jersey calf continues to grow, which is a wonder considering she thinks Maggie only has one teat. She seems to be getting enough, however, since she is up romping around and playing with the Boer kids.
It is now weaning season here on the farm. I have finally convinced Li'l Bit, the steer, that he can get by without a bottle. It was a somewhat loud process, with him voicing his disapproval every time he heard my voice near the pen. The Boer kids, Danielle and Bounder, are ready to be weaned. That's my judgment call. I doubt they would agree, especially Bounder who is somewhat of a momma's boy. So this week I will be removing them from their momma during the day, putting Danielle with the doe kids and Bounder in with the bucks. I suppose I will feel somewhat like I am dropping them each at separate daycares. Then at night I will put them back with their momma. But next Monday, look out! They will be permanently removed from momma and in with the kids. The last of the Alpine kids will be weaned in the next two weeks, also.
The last two weeks of July will be spent preparing my does for breeding season. Deworming is done, hooves are trimmed up, the cashmeres are combed out well one last time. The plan is to put the bucks in with the Boers and Cashmeres for August and September for kidding in January/February. Believe it or not, this is the first year I actually have a breeding plan written down (for the next five years!). Last year I had a plan, but wasn't in control of the buck, so it kind of fell apart. This year I feel much more in control and I don't have to run all over southeastern NC to accomplish it. Michaela will not start breeding the Alpines until a little later, shooting for March/April kids. We would both like to avoid the May/June kids since we are so busy with other things by then.
Well, the day is calling so I had better run. As usual I am starting the day off behind.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Faline, the new Jersey calf continues to grow, which is a wonder considering she thinks Maggie only has one teat. She seems to be getting enough, however, since she is up romping around and playing with the Boer kids.
It is now weaning season here on the farm. I have finally convinced Li'l Bit, the steer, that he can get by without a bottle. It was a somewhat loud process, with him voicing his disapproval every time he heard my voice near the pen. The Boer kids, Danielle and Bounder, are ready to be weaned. That's my judgment call. I doubt they would agree, especially Bounder who is somewhat of a momma's boy. So this week I will be removing them from their momma during the day, putting Danielle with the doe kids and Bounder in with the bucks. I suppose I will feel somewhat like I am dropping them each at separate daycares. Then at night I will put them back with their momma. But next Monday, look out! They will be permanently removed from momma and in with the kids. The last of the Alpine kids will be weaned in the next two weeks, also.
The last two weeks of July will be spent preparing my does for breeding season. Deworming is done, hooves are trimmed up, the cashmeres are combed out well one last time. The plan is to put the bucks in with the Boers and Cashmeres for August and September for kidding in January/February. Believe it or not, this is the first year I actually have a breeding plan written down (for the next five years!). Last year I had a plan, but wasn't in control of the buck, so it kind of fell apart. This year I feel much more in control and I don't have to run all over southeastern NC to accomplish it. Michaela will not start breeding the Alpines until a little later, shooting for March/April kids. We would both like to avoid the May/June kids since we are so busy with other things by then.
Well, the day is calling so I had better run. As usual I am starting the day off behind.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
A New Member Joins the Family
Good Morning! Well, our newest addition to the farm turned 1 week old yesterday. Our Jersey cow, Maggie, calved last week and gave us a cute little heifer, who we have named Faline. She is so adorable. Baby animals are my favorite part of homesteading.
She did create a few problems, however. I've mentioned earlier that Maggie and the mustang we had been given by some friends just don't get along, but they had finally worked out a fragile treaty on the sharing of the pasture. Then, sometime in the wee hours of June 27th, Maggie calved and the mustang decided it was hers. Alerted by Maggie's low mooing I went out to the pasture to find the calf standing beside the mustang at the hay ring. Maggie was some distance away trying to call her calf to her, but every time the calf turned to go, the horse would get between them and herd the calf back. This continued even when I tried to lead the calf back to Maggie. By this time the calf was thoroughly confused and I was afraid we would be writing our own version of the child's book "Are You My Mother?". To compound the problem the farm is currently strained to the bursting point with animals and there really was nowhere to put Maggie and the calf by themselves. We had thought that the pasture would be sufficient to house the horse and Maggie with her calf.
I eventually put Maggie in with the goats, where at least Maggie was more comfortable. But the calf did not nurse well the first day. After leaving them together in the goat pen for several days, the calf has finally realized who her mother is and become a better nurser and extremely lively.
Typically, we leave the calf with Maggie for 24-48 hours, then pull it off and milk Maggie while bottle-feeding the calf. Faline, however, refused to nurse off the back two quarters. This was understandable since, historically, Maggie's back two quarters usually are slightly bloody the first week after calving. On day two, I decided to milk out her back two quarters to prevent her drying off in these two and to prevent the onset of mastitis. Indeed, her milk was bloody with several fibrous clots passing in one quarter. She tested negative for mastitis and after a few days this cleared up. Faline, however, still refuses to nurse off the back two or take a bottle. So this time around the arrangement is: Faline stays with Maggie and gets the front two quarters. I milk the back two quarters for the Angus calves and the family. For right now we both seem happy.
Well, the day is calling. Be sure to come back for more adventures of the psychotic animals which seem to inhabit my homestead lately.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Just Another Day
Good Morning! We finally received an inch of rain!!!!! I don't know if it will be enough to save the tomatoes. The high heat and lack of rain has caused blossom end rot to be a major issue. When this has occurred before, it has always been just a plant here and there and easily solved with the addition of land plaster. This year, however, it is every plant and nothing seems to make any difference. I don't think that we have been able to harvest more that 2 or 3 tomatoes this year. This will put a real dent in my pantry, not to mention my summer enjoyment, as tomatoes are one of my most favorite summertime offerings. I can tomatoes and use them for tomato sauce and salsa. This year I was planning on attempting to can spaghetti sauce, but, unless I can solve this problem, there will be no tomatoes. What a disappointment!!!
I love my country life. I really do. And I try to remember that when my day has chaotic events pop up like weeds. We had put Maggie and her new heifer calf into the pasture with the horse. Fortunately the horse accepted her quickly. Unfortunately the horse accepted her as her own foal and wouldn't let Maggie get near her. So they had gone back in the pen and we had put our two Angus calves out with the horse. One of these, the steer, is blind and we had kept a close eye to make sure that everything was all right with the three animals.
I had been doing laundry and was hanging out the third load when the skies grew dark and thunder was heard. The girls and I quickly took down the laundry and carried it inside. Then we put the tarps on the rabbit pens down, checked the stock, and headed inside. A few minutes later, while sitting in the den, I noticed cars on the highway were slowing down and stopping. Always alert to what changes in traffic may mean, I had just gotten up when Michaela yells that there is a cow on the road. The two older girls and I headed out at a run. Sure enough, the blind steer had somehow busted the fence and gotten out. Ever tried to round up a spooked blind steer on a highway in a thunderstorm? Normally Li'l Bit will follow me anywhere and everywhere, but not today. Up and down the highway we went, between eastbound traffic that had stopped and westbound traffic that had stopped. I was finally able to get a halter on him. Sort of. The only halter we could find was the one I use for goats and very small calves. It didn't really fit a 5-month-old steer. (Oh, yeah. Our two larger halters are currently holding pallets tied to fencing where the goats had broken through.) Finally, I get the 300+ pound steer drug back into the pen and the fence repaired, while every bit of that inch of rain fell, the lightning sparked, and the thunder crashed. Completely soaked, I ran back into the house. Just another day on the farm.
Looking back I realize that I crossed several things off my "Bucket List" yesterday. It's just that, as so often is the case with things I accomplish in a day, I had to add them to my list so that I could cross them off.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
I love my country life. I really do. And I try to remember that when my day has chaotic events pop up like weeds. We had put Maggie and her new heifer calf into the pasture with the horse. Fortunately the horse accepted her quickly. Unfortunately the horse accepted her as her own foal and wouldn't let Maggie get near her. So they had gone back in the pen and we had put our two Angus calves out with the horse. One of these, the steer, is blind and we had kept a close eye to make sure that everything was all right with the three animals.
I had been doing laundry and was hanging out the third load when the skies grew dark and thunder was heard. The girls and I quickly took down the laundry and carried it inside. Then we put the tarps on the rabbit pens down, checked the stock, and headed inside. A few minutes later, while sitting in the den, I noticed cars on the highway were slowing down and stopping. Always alert to what changes in traffic may mean, I had just gotten up when Michaela yells that there is a cow on the road. The two older girls and I headed out at a run. Sure enough, the blind steer had somehow busted the fence and gotten out. Ever tried to round up a spooked blind steer on a highway in a thunderstorm? Normally Li'l Bit will follow me anywhere and everywhere, but not today. Up and down the highway we went, between eastbound traffic that had stopped and westbound traffic that had stopped. I was finally able to get a halter on him. Sort of. The only halter we could find was the one I use for goats and very small calves. It didn't really fit a 5-month-old steer. (Oh, yeah. Our two larger halters are currently holding pallets tied to fencing where the goats had broken through.) Finally, I get the 300+ pound steer drug back into the pen and the fence repaired, while every bit of that inch of rain fell, the lightning sparked, and the thunder crashed. Completely soaked, I ran back into the house. Just another day on the farm.
Looking back I realize that I crossed several things off my "Bucket List" yesterday. It's just that, as so often is the case with things I accomplish in a day, I had to add them to my list so that I could cross them off.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Monday, June 20, 2011
Controlling Parasites
Good Morning! We finally got some rain!! Only about 2/10th's, but at this point anything is appreciated. It's not enough to discontinue our watering schedule, however. The pens and pasture were already drying out by the time I cleaned them on Sunday morning. I am so glad that I have been taking the time to rake the pens daily. It has really cut down on the flies and, hopefully, the parasites.
Deworming is always a hot item this time of year. Since literature indicates that some dewormers are becoming ineffective due to overuse, we try not to use them unless indicated by a FAMACHA screening. This involves looking at the eyelid and determining parasite level from the color of the eyelid; a nice rosy color = no parasites. The paler the eyelid the higher the parasite level. We never just treat the entire herd on a schedule. Some of our goats have a high natural resistance to parasites, while others are less so. Since a high parasite level leads to anemia, which stresses all of a goat's systems, it is often a precursor to other problems. It is especially important that newly acquired animals be dewormed, since they may be unused to the parasites in your area.
Dry weather makes the parasite level easier to control. But any rain will cause the population to increase rapidly. The best control of parasites is in pasture rotation. Since we only have a total of 4.3 acres, with 2 acres unusable at this time, and my house occupying part of the remaining acreage, we are greatly limited in our pasture area. This makes it impossible to use pasture rotation as a method of control. Keeping several different species on the same area helps (our cow, horse, and goats share an area). But our key to parasite control is the daily cleaning of pens. This is time consuming and hard work, but definitely pays off in the end. There are currently 5 pens/areas which I clean daily. Each area is raked with a metal yard rake and then the manure is removed using a shovel. This is then transported by wheelbarrow across to the compost pile and dumped. The compost is then used the next year on our gardens or to build raised beds. Like I said, time-consuming and hard work, but necessary with our land restrictions. Manure also makes a really good fertilizer. Goat, sheep, horse, and rabbit manure can be used fresh in your garden and on fruit-bearing trees and bushes. Poultry and cattle manure must be dried first due to the high nitrogen content. We use the manure as needed and the rest is composted.
No matter what your reason for raising animals (meat, milk, fiber, etc), the end product is always better with a healthy animal.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Deworming is always a hot item this time of year. Since literature indicates that some dewormers are becoming ineffective due to overuse, we try not to use them unless indicated by a FAMACHA screening. This involves looking at the eyelid and determining parasite level from the color of the eyelid; a nice rosy color = no parasites. The paler the eyelid the higher the parasite level. We never just treat the entire herd on a schedule. Some of our goats have a high natural resistance to parasites, while others are less so. Since a high parasite level leads to anemia, which stresses all of a goat's systems, it is often a precursor to other problems. It is especially important that newly acquired animals be dewormed, since they may be unused to the parasites in your area.
Dry weather makes the parasite level easier to control. But any rain will cause the population to increase rapidly. The best control of parasites is in pasture rotation. Since we only have a total of 4.3 acres, with 2 acres unusable at this time, and my house occupying part of the remaining acreage, we are greatly limited in our pasture area. This makes it impossible to use pasture rotation as a method of control. Keeping several different species on the same area helps (our cow, horse, and goats share an area). But our key to parasite control is the daily cleaning of pens. This is time consuming and hard work, but definitely pays off in the end. There are currently 5 pens/areas which I clean daily. Each area is raked with a metal yard rake and then the manure is removed using a shovel. This is then transported by wheelbarrow across to the compost pile and dumped. The compost is then used the next year on our gardens or to build raised beds. Like I said, time-consuming and hard work, but necessary with our land restrictions. Manure also makes a really good fertilizer. Goat, sheep, horse, and rabbit manure can be used fresh in your garden and on fruit-bearing trees and bushes. Poultry and cattle manure must be dried first due to the high nitrogen content. We use the manure as needed and the rest is composted.
No matter what your reason for raising animals (meat, milk, fiber, etc), the end product is always better with a healthy animal.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Drought Garden
Good Morning! Despite the weather forecasts, we remain hot and dry. This is having a really interesting effect on my garden. With the exception of the tomatoes, which actually prefer drier conditions, everything has started producing when it is only about 6 inches tall. My bell pepper plants are loaded, as are my chile and jalapeno plants. Yesterday I noticed okra that was not far from being ready to cut. And yet none of the plants are over 6 inches in height.
The hot temperatures are also stressing my tomato plants to the point of producing blossom end rot. We have already applied 1 bag of agricultural lime to the soil. We will now try sprinkling it over the entire plant. I have never had this occur before. Since tomatoes are my primary canning ingredient, this loss could prove to be harmful to my "stocking up". We have been on a heavy watering schedule for the last few weeks, but I know that no amount of artificial watering can replace a natural rain.
We will be digging our potatoes today. With no rain, it doesn't make any sense to leave them in the ground. They are not very large, but will serve well for canning purposes. Since we don't own any machinery, we will be digging them the "old-fashioned way", with a shovel and our hands.
Canning has become my storage method of choice, my main reason being that I am trying to move as close to off grid as possible. I have learned a lot over the last 11 years and continue to learn more every day. This past year was my first time canning meat. It has made such a difference in my meal planning as I can now plan a chicken casserole without having to plan thawing and cooking time for the chicken itself. And the pressure canning has made even the 2-year-old layers I put up extremely tender.
I've also learned that not everything has to be done right away. This past winter I thawed out some of the turkeys we slaughtered in the fall and canned them. This freed up quite a bit of freezer room. In addition, I was able to make blueberry and fig jam out of fruit I had put in the freezer. With a busy garden and plenty of livestock to care for, I just hadn't had time during the summer. It took quite a bit of pressure off of me and allowed me to do it at a less busy time of year. This is something I will definitely be doing more of.
Canning is not difficult by any means. There are some really great books out there. I didn't have anyone to teach me, so I just followed the directions. By far the best book for beginners is The Ball Blue Book which is available everywhere. It gives step-by-step directions and even some illustrations for how to can the most commonly canned foods. All of the equipment is readily available now, especially the jars. There are also some kits available which allow you to get everything you need to get started canning. Don't allow your preconceived notions of difficulty to keep you from enjoying your gardening efforts right through the winter. Set a goal and start canning today.
Well, the livestock is calling. A busy day is ahead.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day.
Laurie
The hot temperatures are also stressing my tomato plants to the point of producing blossom end rot. We have already applied 1 bag of agricultural lime to the soil. We will now try sprinkling it over the entire plant. I have never had this occur before. Since tomatoes are my primary canning ingredient, this loss could prove to be harmful to my "stocking up". We have been on a heavy watering schedule for the last few weeks, but I know that no amount of artificial watering can replace a natural rain.
We will be digging our potatoes today. With no rain, it doesn't make any sense to leave them in the ground. They are not very large, but will serve well for canning purposes. Since we don't own any machinery, we will be digging them the "old-fashioned way", with a shovel and our hands.
Canning has become my storage method of choice, my main reason being that I am trying to move as close to off grid as possible. I have learned a lot over the last 11 years and continue to learn more every day. This past year was my first time canning meat. It has made such a difference in my meal planning as I can now plan a chicken casserole without having to plan thawing and cooking time for the chicken itself. And the pressure canning has made even the 2-year-old layers I put up extremely tender.
I've also learned that not everything has to be done right away. This past winter I thawed out some of the turkeys we slaughtered in the fall and canned them. This freed up quite a bit of freezer room. In addition, I was able to make blueberry and fig jam out of fruit I had put in the freezer. With a busy garden and plenty of livestock to care for, I just hadn't had time during the summer. It took quite a bit of pressure off of me and allowed me to do it at a less busy time of year. This is something I will definitely be doing more of.
Canning is not difficult by any means. There are some really great books out there. I didn't have anyone to teach me, so I just followed the directions. By far the best book for beginners is The Ball Blue Book which is available everywhere. It gives step-by-step directions and even some illustrations for how to can the most commonly canned foods. All of the equipment is readily available now, especially the jars. There are also some kits available which allow you to get everything you need to get started canning. Don't allow your preconceived notions of difficulty to keep you from enjoying your gardening efforts right through the winter. Set a goal and start canning today.
Well, the livestock is calling. A busy day is ahead.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day.
Laurie
Thursday, June 16, 2011
My Cow is Equinephobic!!!!
Good Morning! Well, we're still dry and dusty here. I really don't remember the last time it rained. Our general area is 9 inches below normal for the year. While we are keeping everything alive, a good rain would make all of the difference. At this rate what little pasture we do have will soon become dry lot.
The horse is home. And making life interesting. I had a feed/clean schedule that worked really well. But that has all changed. Maggie, my Jersey cow, is absolutely terrified of the horse. At first she was ok, but then the horse decided to get friendly. Maggie really didn't want to be friends with something so much larger than she, so she politely started to slowly move in the opposite direction. The horse followed. Maggie picked up speed. So did the horse. Maggie began a slow trot. So did the horse. Maggie moved into a fast trot. The horse was thrilled to have someone to play with and also increased its speed, cutting across the pasture in order to get to Maggie. Maggie then moved to a full gallop. For those of you, who like me, have never seen an eight-months pregnant cow gallop, it is quite a sight. As she came around the edge of the pasture, she reminded me of all of those illustrations of the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle" where the cow is stretched out jumping over the moon. I opened the gate to the goat pen and in she went, breathing hard. Now you can only get her out if the horse is tied up at the other end of the pasture, eating. I've done research on the net and can only find what to do if your horse is afraid of the cow, not the other way around. I hope they sort it all out soon. My goat pen is not made to hold a 900 lb. cow and especially not a cow/calf.
I was also able to pick up almost 80 Californian and New Zealand rabbits this past weekend to help get us started in the rabbit meat business. We've had our license for processing for two years, but have yet to get it going. The purchase included several litters that are ready for slaughter as well as several new litters. I'm still trying to sort them all out. I will be keeping some to use as breeders and selling some live. Hopefully, I'll have them up on the website for sale this weekend.
Well, the work is calling and getting behind first thing in the morning is not a good idea.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The horse is home. And making life interesting. I had a feed/clean schedule that worked really well. But that has all changed. Maggie, my Jersey cow, is absolutely terrified of the horse. At first she was ok, but then the horse decided to get friendly. Maggie really didn't want to be friends with something so much larger than she, so she politely started to slowly move in the opposite direction. The horse followed. Maggie picked up speed. So did the horse. Maggie began a slow trot. So did the horse. Maggie moved into a fast trot. The horse was thrilled to have someone to play with and also increased its speed, cutting across the pasture in order to get to Maggie. Maggie then moved to a full gallop. For those of you, who like me, have never seen an eight-months pregnant cow gallop, it is quite a sight. As she came around the edge of the pasture, she reminded me of all of those illustrations of the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle" where the cow is stretched out jumping over the moon. I opened the gate to the goat pen and in she went, breathing hard. Now you can only get her out if the horse is tied up at the other end of the pasture, eating. I've done research on the net and can only find what to do if your horse is afraid of the cow, not the other way around. I hope they sort it all out soon. My goat pen is not made to hold a 900 lb. cow and especially not a cow/calf.
I was also able to pick up almost 80 Californian and New Zealand rabbits this past weekend to help get us started in the rabbit meat business. We've had our license for processing for two years, but have yet to get it going. The purchase included several litters that are ready for slaughter as well as several new litters. I'm still trying to sort them all out. I will be keeping some to use as breeders and selling some live. Hopefully, I'll have them up on the website for sale this weekend.
Well, the work is calling and getting behind first thing in the morning is not a good idea.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Turkeys and Gardens
Good Afternoon! The heat continues and, according to www.weather.com there is little chance of any rain headed our way anytime soon. Our garden, while not lush and overflowing, is holding its own and producing, thanks almost entirely to the attentions of our daughter, Tessa. We have harvested the onions and the garden peas. The tomatoes are beginning to ripen, although they are much smaller than in previous years. The sweet bell pepper plants, while looking good, are still very small. In other words, the harvest this year is not going to be very large. It is so good to know that Yahweh has it all under control and will see that everything works out according to his plan.
The turkey poults arrived last Friday. The Memorial Day holiday caused their trip to last 3 days instead of the usual two so they were extremely tired, hungry, and thirsty. Four didn't survive and one died soon after arrival leaving 25 total. These all seem healthy and happy. We are raising Broad-Breasted Bronze, Giant White, Blue Slate, Bourbon Red, and Royal Palm. Ever since a couple of years ago when we slaughtered our turkeys the weekend before Thanksgiving so we could have one fresh, we have been hooked on fresh turkeys. This year I may leave some for right before Christmas, too. They are awesome!
Something else we found out is that canned turkey makes a great quick meal starter. Our turkeys didn't do well last year, for whatever reason. They all turned out rather small and we, as a family, don't generally eat a lot of whole turkey. So, in January, I thawed them out, cooked them up, and canned them. They've been great for casseroles, salads, etc. I will definitely be doing this again this year.
Well, it's back to the heat for me.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The turkey poults arrived last Friday. The Memorial Day holiday caused their trip to last 3 days instead of the usual two so they were extremely tired, hungry, and thirsty. Four didn't survive and one died soon after arrival leaving 25 total. These all seem healthy and happy. We are raising Broad-Breasted Bronze, Giant White, Blue Slate, Bourbon Red, and Royal Palm. Ever since a couple of years ago when we slaughtered our turkeys the weekend before Thanksgiving so we could have one fresh, we have been hooked on fresh turkeys. This year I may leave some for right before Christmas, too. They are awesome!
Something else we found out is that canned turkey makes a great quick meal starter. Our turkeys didn't do well last year, for whatever reason. They all turned out rather small and we, as a family, don't generally eat a lot of whole turkey. So, in January, I thawed them out, cooked them up, and canned them. They've been great for casseroles, salads, etc. I will definitely be doing this again this year.
Well, it's back to the heat for me.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Heat, Dust, and Sweat
Good Morning! It continues to be hot and dry here. Watering takes up the majority of my day not already consumed with feeding livestock and cleaning pens. A virus has also been working its way through the family with the lone holdouts being Kelsey, who isn't here long enough to catch anything, and myself. Poor Ray lost 2 days of his vacation to the bug, Samantha missed the spring goat show, Joshua was out a week with it, while Tessa was laid up for 2 days. Currently Ashley and Michaela are battling it. Kudos to Michaela for still dragging herself out to take care of her goats with Joshua and Samantha's help.
The livestock is handling the heat fairly well. The good thing about the heat and dry conditions is that it keeps the parasite level down. But any significant rain will certainly change that. I've been raking the pens and pastures daily in order to keep ahead of that.
Ray completed the pasture expansion yesterday. The expansion more than doubled the pasture area. Maggie just about grazed herself out. She especially liked being out overnight. We had planned on picking up the horse from where she is being boarded, but the family who is keeping her experienced a death, so that has been postponed. Maybe late this week we'll be able to bring her home, finally.
Well, I've cooled off from the morning chores, gotten some breakfast, and now it's time to get back out and water. I feel the same way sweating while I'm watering the plants as I did sweating in the lifeguard stand staring at a pool full of cool water. It's just not right.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The livestock is handling the heat fairly well. The good thing about the heat and dry conditions is that it keeps the parasite level down. But any significant rain will certainly change that. I've been raking the pens and pastures daily in order to keep ahead of that.
Ray completed the pasture expansion yesterday. The expansion more than doubled the pasture area. Maggie just about grazed herself out. She especially liked being out overnight. We had planned on picking up the horse from where she is being boarded, but the family who is keeping her experienced a death, so that has been postponed. Maybe late this week we'll be able to bring her home, finally.
Well, I've cooled off from the morning chores, gotten some breakfast, and now it's time to get back out and water. I feel the same way sweating while I'm watering the plants as I did sweating in the lifeguard stand staring at a pool full of cool water. It's just not right.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Knowing When
Good Morning! It's hot, dry, and dusty here on the homestead. The temperatures have been running in the mid to high 90's all week and the humidity makes the air seem too thick to breathe. We have begun our summer schedule of getting out at daybreak, getting our work done, and getting back in by 11 AM. Then we work on the indoor stuff until late afternoon. With daylight lasting later into the evening, we are able to eat supper and then go out to do evening chores, giving the animals time to cool down some with the evening breeze. It has been a while since we had any appreciable rain and watering stays at the top of our To Do List.
Most of the time here on the homestead we handle medical problems ourselves. Even with kidding, Michaela is experienced enough to handle most of the problems we have encountered. But there always comes a time when you know you just can't solve a problem. Ours came about during the last kidding in March by the matriarch of our herd, Clara. This particular goat is known for her long labors and absolutely refuses to kid if anyone is there to watch. So when her labor went 5 hours we really didn't think anything about it. But in the 6th hour, things began to change. Since she had gotten so large, we were expecting twins, but wouldn't have been surprised at triplets. Michaela did an internal check and was positive that the kid was positioned correctly and that all the parts belonged to the same kid. Labor was very intensive, but nothing was happening. So, we made the decision to call in a vet. Fortunately, he was already on another farm visit and was there in 45 minutes. It took him 30 minutes or more to maneuver the first kid out and another 30 to get the second. While both were nice sized does, the real problem stemmed from a broken tail bone that had occurred in a previous kidding. We thought it had healed up straight, when in fact it had healed in a V-shape, where the bottom point of the V protruded into the birth canal. The vet had had to gradually work both kids around this in order to get them out. This had definitely been beyond Michaela and I's abilities. Our decision to call in a vet saved both the doe and the two kids. And cost us $177, every penny of which we consider well spent.
There are several keys to running a successful livestock operation, but probably the most valuable is pre-planning. We had already made the decision to call in a vet if one of the goats had serious trouble, so we chose a vet and have been working on building a relationship with him. He knows us well enough that if we call for an emergency farm visit, he knows it's bad. His number is programmed into our cell phones so we don't scramble for the number.
The second key is knowing your level of expertise. We've had animals long enough that we know our comfort level and what we feel we can handle. We know several people to call if we get stuck on a problem. And we know when to call in the experts.
Take the time to plan out exactly what you will do if you encounter a problem you can't handle. Find a vet and build a relationship. Spend time with your animals so that you know them and can recognize when something isn't quite right. These simple steps will go a long way in allowing you to keep your homestead happy and healthy.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Most of the time here on the homestead we handle medical problems ourselves. Even with kidding, Michaela is experienced enough to handle most of the problems we have encountered. But there always comes a time when you know you just can't solve a problem. Ours came about during the last kidding in March by the matriarch of our herd, Clara. This particular goat is known for her long labors and absolutely refuses to kid if anyone is there to watch. So when her labor went 5 hours we really didn't think anything about it. But in the 6th hour, things began to change. Since she had gotten so large, we were expecting twins, but wouldn't have been surprised at triplets. Michaela did an internal check and was positive that the kid was positioned correctly and that all the parts belonged to the same kid. Labor was very intensive, but nothing was happening. So, we made the decision to call in a vet. Fortunately, he was already on another farm visit and was there in 45 minutes. It took him 30 minutes or more to maneuver the first kid out and another 30 to get the second. While both were nice sized does, the real problem stemmed from a broken tail bone that had occurred in a previous kidding. We thought it had healed up straight, when in fact it had healed in a V-shape, where the bottom point of the V protruded into the birth canal. The vet had had to gradually work both kids around this in order to get them out. This had definitely been beyond Michaela and I's abilities. Our decision to call in a vet saved both the doe and the two kids. And cost us $177, every penny of which we consider well spent.
There are several keys to running a successful livestock operation, but probably the most valuable is pre-planning. We had already made the decision to call in a vet if one of the goats had serious trouble, so we chose a vet and have been working on building a relationship with him. He knows us well enough that if we call for an emergency farm visit, he knows it's bad. His number is programmed into our cell phones so we don't scramble for the number.
The second key is knowing your level of expertise. We've had animals long enough that we know our comfort level and what we feel we can handle. We know several people to call if we get stuck on a problem. And we know when to call in the experts.
Take the time to plan out exactly what you will do if you encounter a problem you can't handle. Find a vet and build a relationship. Spend time with your animals so that you know them and can recognize when something isn't quite right. These simple steps will go a long way in allowing you to keep your homestead happy and healthy.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Spring Kidding is Over!
Good Morning! Well, it's finally done. The 2011 Kidding Season is over. The final tally was 4 does, 4 bucks. The bucks have turned out to be really good quality, placing well in the NCDGBA Spring show this weekend. The last one was due to kid last Thursday, but Michaela's goats are all notoriously late kidders. This one was no exception. She was a small first freshener, which was enough of a worry, but she had also been bred to a buck whose offspring had given us plenty of trouble this year. All of us left home while Michaela attended the goat show this weekend prayed that her late kidding streak would continue. And it did. By late Sunday, Eva still hadn't kidded and wasn't even showing any signs she was thinking about it.
My day always starts with feeding animals and cleaning pens. I had peeked in on Eva as I made my rounds and she was just laying there, chewing her cud, so I continued raking out the goat yard. Later Ray came out (since he's on vacation, he actually had Memorial Day off for the first time since 1982) and, as we stood talking, we heard a high-pitched "maaa". When we looked into the pen there stood a brand new goat kid, all dried off and running around. Evidently Eva had kidded sometime during the night and just continued on as usual. You gotta love those natural birthers.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
My day always starts with feeding animals and cleaning pens. I had peeked in on Eva as I made my rounds and she was just laying there, chewing her cud, so I continued raking out the goat yard. Later Ray came out (since he's on vacation, he actually had Memorial Day off for the first time since 1982) and, as we stood talking, we heard a high-pitched "maaa". When we looked into the pen there stood a brand new goat kid, all dried off and running around. Evidently Eva had kidded sometime during the night and just continued on as usual. You gotta love those natural birthers.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Arrival of Summer
Good Morning! Well, I broke down and did it. I turned the AC on. I did make it until noon, but that was it. After doing the outside work and coming into the house drenched in sweat, I broke. I tried to tell myself it was for my husband, who works so hard out in the heat all day, and drives in a metal truck with no air, and ends his day working in a metal warehouse with no AC. He deserves to come home to a nice cool home where he can relax away the stress of the day in comfort, right. Yeah, I don't think anyone else bought it either. Not that I don't think those things, but right then, right there, it was me who wanted to be cool. There was not a dry stitch on me and I wanted nothing more than to feel cool, dry air. It was totally selfish, I know. Normally I turn the heat system off April 1 and don't turn the AC on until June 1, but even I have my limits and 93 with a heat index of who knows what is about it. I had intended to turn it back off at 8PM but forgot. I'm glad I did. The humidity is even worse this morning and the sun is heating things up fast. I'm trying to remember why I bother with morning showers. Summer is my least favorite of the seasons and it is definitely here.
Well, better get back to the chores. I want to be inside by noon. Where I can hibernate in the cool.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Well, better get back to the chores. I want to be inside by noon. Where I can hibernate in the cool.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Oops!!! Our Mistake
Good Morning! Wow, I had no idea that I had been away that long. I have really missed blogging and being able to record all of the great happenings on our homestead. They just seemed to be coming so fast and furious that I couldn't find time to post them all. Over the next few weeks I will be trying to catch you up on the homestead as well as discussing the current chaos.
Maggie, our beloved Jersey, is currently dried off and awaiting calving. I am enjoying the break from twice-a-day milking and what seems to be constant cheese, yogurt, and butter making. On the flipside, I am also missing the fresh products Maggie makes possible. I find it really difficult to go back to commercially produced food once I've had our own. Maggie is due to calve on June 29, only a little over a month away.
By the time that gets here I hope to have everything under control and schedules running smoother.
In the meantime I've been busy in other areas. In early March we were given a blind steer to raise for meat. He has regained sight in one eye but the other has difficulty focusing. He's getting bigger every day and now is 4 months old. The timing was a little bad, since Maggie is dried off and I'm having to buy milk replacer, but I really couldn't turn down meat for the family, even if it is two years down the road.
We named him "Little Bit" because he was so small. The name doesn't really fit anymore, though.
Then, in late March, the same rancher called to say that he had a two day old orphan bull calf for us. So we went over, picked him up, and put him with "Little Bit" and named him "Fireball". Now I was bottle feeding two calves. At the end of April, we decided that we really needed to get him fixed. Michaela has an elasticator for use on her goats but, as she said, the rings only go so big. It took Ray, Michaela, and I to get him turned over and set to band him. To our surprise, it appeared to already have been done. We guessed the rancher had someone do it before we got him. And life went on. A week or so later, Michaela was out at the pasture when Fireball peed. Imagine our shock to find that this supposed bull-steer calf was actually a heifer! In our defense, her naval was very large and covered with a lot of hair. Add that to the fact that we were in a rush and took the rancher at his word that we had a bull and there you go.
"Fireball" who has now been renamed "Sassyfras". We have all had a great laugh about our great level of cattle knowledge. We actually do know how to tell the difference, but it was a somewhat humbling experience. I don't think that I will ever laugh at someone else's mistake again.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Maggie, our beloved Jersey, is currently dried off and awaiting calving. I am enjoying the break from twice-a-day milking and what seems to be constant cheese, yogurt, and butter making. On the flipside, I am also missing the fresh products Maggie makes possible. I find it really difficult to go back to commercially produced food once I've had our own. Maggie is due to calve on June 29, only a little over a month away.
By the time that gets here I hope to have everything under control and schedules running smoother.
In the meantime I've been busy in other areas. In early March we were given a blind steer to raise for meat. He has regained sight in one eye but the other has difficulty focusing. He's getting bigger every day and now is 4 months old. The timing was a little bad, since Maggie is dried off and I'm having to buy milk replacer, but I really couldn't turn down meat for the family, even if it is two years down the road.
Then, in late March, the same rancher called to say that he had a two day old orphan bull calf for us. So we went over, picked him up, and put him with "Little Bit" and named him "Fireball". Now I was bottle feeding two calves. At the end of April, we decided that we really needed to get him fixed. Michaela has an elasticator for use on her goats but, as she said, the rings only go so big. It took Ray, Michaela, and I to get him turned over and set to band him. To our surprise, it appeared to already have been done. We guessed the rancher had someone do it before we got him. And life went on. A week or so later, Michaela was out at the pasture when Fireball peed. Imagine our shock to find that this supposed bull-steer calf was actually a heifer! In our defense, her naval was very large and covered with a lot of hair. Add that to the fact that we were in a rush and took the rancher at his word that we had a bull and there you go.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Friday, January 28, 2011
"REAL" Snowy Winters
Good Morning! I've been extremely busy this week making mozzarella cheese and butter. After three days of gray clouds and drizzle, we have been blessed with warmth and sunshine. So we've also been trying to catch up on some outside work. I know the extreme weather has been in the news a lot lately and I know that it has been difficult for those getting massive amounts of snow to deal with it. But after reading this post I don't think that I can legitimately complain about our snow anymore. I bet no one laughs at their prepping!!
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Saturday, January 22, 2011
A Insightful Link
Good Morning! Another blog I enjoy reading is Paratus Familia. They are living completely off-grid and I am always impressed by her resourcefulness. Her writings are such an encouragement when I'm feeling like no one understands. Her latest post, The Great Disconnect, is awesome reading and very thought-provoking. I know that these days it seems that my children are never unplugged, but always carrying around something that takes their attention from life. I miss the old days when we actually shared life together. Now it seems that we are never together, even when we're all together. Somehow, when no one was looking, we became a modern-day family. I am at a loss as to how to get it back. Maybe I can't.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Friday, January 21, 2011
Milking A Cow........Outside
Good Morning! I really love Patrice Lewis' blog, Rural Revolution. She has an interesting way of putting things that can make you laugh and really understand where she's coming from. Her stories of life on a rural farm in Idaho make for good reading. One of my favorite posts was one she did on the incredibly popular facebook game Farmville. While I am on facebook (fb) I do not play any of the games. I don't have that kind of free time and when I do I'm usually crocheting or knitting or making soap or reading. My children have tried several of the games (You really don't know the feeling that comes from your 16 year old daughter yelling out "He just robbed my chop shop! I've got to put this guy on ice!" unless you've actually been there) so I'm vaguely familiar with some of them. Farmville is evidently one in which, as Patrice put it repeatedly, "you can milk 20 cows with just one click". For someone who has one cow, this is downright infuriating! No, not the "20 cows with just one click"! My irritation comes more from the fact that these people NEVER HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE. No wonder that the American public has so little regard for the farmers. Either I or Kelsey have milked in 7 degree (with a 10 degree wind chill) temperatures, in rain so hard you couldn't see the woods on the other side of the field, in snow, in sleet, in mud, in 100 degree weather....... So far we've avoided a hurricane, but I'm sure we'll get there sometime. We've milked sick, hurt, or just plain grouchy. We do wait out thunderstorms since our milking area is under several trees, but, other than that, we're right there, twice a day.
So, in the interest of dispelling nauseating myths about farming and taking care of animals, I decided to show everyone exactly what is involved in milking one cow........supposedly you can multiply this by 20 for a true "Farmville" experience.
This is Maggie, our Jersey cow. The first thing that you have to understand about dairy cows is that their genetics cause them to put everything they eat into making milk. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THIS. A nicely filled out dairy cow is fat and unhealthy and will probably die the first time she tries to carry a calf. The hay Maggie is eating is available 24/7. Notice that she is OUTSIDE. This means that I have to go OUTSIDE to the pasture and bring her to the milking stand, which is also OUTSIDE.
In addition to the hay, Maggie is given grain twice a day during milking. About 2 scoops (or 4 lbs) of grain concentrate, twice per day. We only use Purina brand feeds for our animals because it is the only brand available locally with only plant proteins, none from animals.
Because it has been very cold, I have been adding a sprinkling of beet pulp to her food. This is a carbohydrate and will help give her the extra energy to stay warm. Since she is pregnant, I have to be careful not to overdo it. As noted above, a plump dairy cow is an unhealthy dairy cow.
It should also be noted that the feed is kept OUTSIDE, which is where I have to be to get it.
There are several things homesteaders can't have enough of. Such as tarps......and five gallon buckets.....and hurricane straps...... Here is our current milking setup. The headgate is on loan to us from the farmer who used to sell us our beef heifers we showed for 4H. This same farmer used to haul those heifers all over NC and spend every Saturday from the end of August to the end of October away from his farm and at the shows. We couldn't have done it without him.
After fixing the food, I dump it into the food pan at the end of the headgate.
In addition to the milking pail, strip cup, and rag, I get out the Fight Bac and the udder wash.
See the nice stool my husband set up for me. It is definitely much softer and warmer than the upside-down 5-gallon bucket I was using. Come hunting season, however, I just know I'll be looking for that bucket again.
Here is Maggie, chowing down on the feed and ready for milking. I know the bars at her neck LOOK like I'm squeezing her throat, but I'M NOT. I always make sure that the metal is not touching her and that I can put my hand between the bar and her. Besides, have you ever tried to milk a cow that was choking and couldn't breathe? Me either, but I know enough not to want to try.
This is Maggie's udder with four teats. During the summer we generally shave the hair off her udder, but in the winter we let it grow back. Today her udder is fairly clean, but there are days..........
We spray the udder with udder wash, which is a mixture of iodine and water, then wipe it really good with a clean rag. Every week we wash the rags in hot water using bleach and an extra rinse cycle. Then they are hung out to dry.
Several squirts from each teat are then milked into the "strip cup".
This is then closely inspected for any abnormalities such as flakes, globs, or blood, which could be signs of unhealthiness or infection. We also do a mastitis test once a week.
Then the milking begins. I usually milk one front teat and the diagonally opposite back teat at the same time. Here I'm trying to take a picture so I'm only milking from the back teat. Notice, once again, that all of this is taking place OUTSIDE.
A pail of milk.....mmmmm. It was a good day. Maggie didn't pee or poop while I was milking, nor did she step in it. You have no idea how depressing it is to finish milking a cow when you know that you are going to have to feed the milk to the livestock because it became contaminated.
Then we spray Fight Bac on each teat. It's a cold antibacterial spray that kills any bacteria that may have gotten on the teats and helps to close up the orifice that the milk comes out of.
Then Maggie is released where she immediately returns to the hay ring.
The milk is weighed, which helps us keep up with production. While I don't personally care how much Maggie gives, a drop in production is usually the first sign of illness. So being able to quickly notice this gives us a head start on solving any problems.
Then the milk is taken back inside to be strained into glass jars.......
and put into a cooler with several frozen freezer packs to chill.
So, in the interest of dispelling nauseating myths about farming and taking care of animals, I decided to show everyone exactly what is involved in milking one cow........supposedly you can multiply this by 20 for a true "Farmville" experience.
This is Maggie, our Jersey cow. The first thing that you have to understand about dairy cows is that their genetics cause them to put everything they eat into making milk. THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THIS. A nicely filled out dairy cow is fat and unhealthy and will probably die the first time she tries to carry a calf. The hay Maggie is eating is available 24/7. Notice that she is OUTSIDE. This means that I have to go OUTSIDE to the pasture and bring her to the milking stand, which is also OUTSIDE.
In addition to the hay, Maggie is given grain twice a day during milking. About 2 scoops (or 4 lbs) of grain concentrate, twice per day. We only use Purina brand feeds for our animals because it is the only brand available locally with only plant proteins, none from animals.
Because it has been very cold, I have been adding a sprinkling of beet pulp to her food. This is a carbohydrate and will help give her the extra energy to stay warm. Since she is pregnant, I have to be careful not to overdo it. As noted above, a plump dairy cow is an unhealthy dairy cow.
It should also be noted that the feed is kept OUTSIDE, which is where I have to be to get it.
There are several things homesteaders can't have enough of. Such as tarps......and five gallon buckets.....and hurricane straps...... Here is our current milking setup. The headgate is on loan to us from the farmer who used to sell us our beef heifers we showed for 4H. This same farmer used to haul those heifers all over NC and spend every Saturday from the end of August to the end of October away from his farm and at the shows. We couldn't have done it without him.
After fixing the food, I dump it into the food pan at the end of the headgate.
In addition to the milking pail, strip cup, and rag, I get out the Fight Bac and the udder wash.
See the nice stool my husband set up for me. It is definitely much softer and warmer than the upside-down 5-gallon bucket I was using. Come hunting season, however, I just know I'll be looking for that bucket again.
Here is Maggie, chowing down on the feed and ready for milking. I know the bars at her neck LOOK like I'm squeezing her throat, but I'M NOT. I always make sure that the metal is not touching her and that I can put my hand between the bar and her. Besides, have you ever tried to milk a cow that was choking and couldn't breathe? Me either, but I know enough not to want to try.
This is Maggie's udder with four teats. During the summer we generally shave the hair off her udder, but in the winter we let it grow back. Today her udder is fairly clean, but there are days..........
We spray the udder with udder wash, which is a mixture of iodine and water, then wipe it really good with a clean rag. Every week we wash the rags in hot water using bleach and an extra rinse cycle. Then they are hung out to dry.
Several squirts from each teat are then milked into the "strip cup".
This is then closely inspected for any abnormalities such as flakes, globs, or blood, which could be signs of unhealthiness or infection. We also do a mastitis test once a week.
Then the milking begins. I usually milk one front teat and the diagonally opposite back teat at the same time. Here I'm trying to take a picture so I'm only milking from the back teat. Notice, once again, that all of this is taking place OUTSIDE.
A pail of milk.....mmmmm. It was a good day. Maggie didn't pee or poop while I was milking, nor did she step in it. You have no idea how depressing it is to finish milking a cow when you know that you are going to have to feed the milk to the livestock because it became contaminated.
Then we spray Fight Bac on each teat. It's a cold antibacterial spray that kills any bacteria that may have gotten on the teats and helps to close up the orifice that the milk comes out of.
Then Maggie is released where she immediately returns to the hay ring.
The milk is weighed, which helps us keep up with production. While I don't personally care how much Maggie gives, a drop in production is usually the first sign of illness. So being able to quickly notice this gives us a head start on solving any problems.
Then the milk is taken back inside to be strained into glass jars.......
and put into a cooler with several frozen freezer packs to chill.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Return of the Jersey
Good Morning! The weekend here gave us really pleasant weather, although it didn't seem like I got much done. Our Jersey cow is back from the farm we took her to for breeding, way back in September. In the past we have taken her to a friend's place to be bred with an Angus. The first year we had her we bred with a Black Angus and got a heifer that looked all Angus. The second year we bred her to a Red Angus and got a bull that looked all Jersey. Go figure. This year we found some people who actually had Jersey bulls, so we took her up there in August to breed. Unfortunately, it was so hot that nothing happened. So we took her back in September intending to leave her for a month, just to make sure. However, at the end of the month, the friends asked if they could keep her on a milk lease until January. A milk lease is simply where they take care of the cow and keep the milk. They had several cows that were due to calve and had to be dried up and they still needed the milk for the calves they had. Since we have the goats as a backup milk supply, we were agreeable to the plan. I have to be honest, there have been days this winter that I have been extremely thankful that there was no cow to milk.
But now she's back and I'm really glad to see her. I was a little worried about how she might settle back in. They have a large pasture with seven other cows and use a milking machine. We only have her and the 20 goats, a smaller pasture, and just me milking. The first milking was a little rough. I was too slow and she started dancing around and eventually stepped on top of the milk pail, so that had to be thrown out. The next milking I added just a little more food in her bucket and she has stood just as still and been just as pleasant as can be. It's been really great. She's only giving about 2 - 3 gallons a day, but that's more than enough for our family. Since the goats will soon begin being dried off in preparation for kidding, the timing is really great. I love fresh milk. And fresh mozzarella cheese. And fresh butter. And fresh yogurt. And fresh..............
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
But now she's back and I'm really glad to see her. I was a little worried about how she might settle back in. They have a large pasture with seven other cows and use a milking machine. We only have her and the 20 goats, a smaller pasture, and just me milking. The first milking was a little rough. I was too slow and she started dancing around and eventually stepped on top of the milk pail, so that had to be thrown out. The next milking I added just a little more food in her bucket and she has stood just as still and been just as pleasant as can be. It's been really great. She's only giving about 2 - 3 gallons a day, but that's more than enough for our family. Since the goats will soon begin being dried off in preparation for kidding, the timing is really great. I love fresh milk. And fresh mozzarella cheese. And fresh butter. And fresh yogurt. And fresh..............
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Snow Pictures.....finally
Good Morning! Yesterday was banking day on the farm. A year ago, after reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover, we went to an all-cash method of banking which necessitates a weekly trip to the bank. It also requires me to get up early and make sure that all of our records and expenses have been recorded. This past December I was able to purchase Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. Originally priced at $199, I just couldn't justify the expense. But one day on FB it was listed as a "special of the day" at $89, so I snapped one up with my Christmas money. The plan is for the older children and I to set aside one evening a week and do one lesson at a time. Since three of the children work and the fourth runs her own business, this is going to be really good information for them to have before they get married. The envelope system has really helped us a lot in having money for expenses when they are due. I reviewed the Total Money Makeover which you can read here. Scroll down to the middle of the post.
The snow from last Monday continues to hang around in places. The old-timers around will tell you that if snow stays more than four days, it's waiting for some more. And guess what? There's more in the forecast for next weekend. Wonderful.
The snow from last Monday continues to hang around in places. The old-timers around will tell you that if snow stays more than four days, it's waiting for some more. And guess what? There's more in the forecast for next weekend. Wonderful.
Here are some of the snow pictures from last week. Enjoy.
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| No this is not our house. It's an old smokehouse that we currently use for storage. |
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| Our farm sign. The dark clouds were bringing sleet. |
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| Our Alpine and Boer kids did NOT like the snow! |
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| The Pashmina's LOVED it. |
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| The chickens preferred the inside. |
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| This is my oldest hive. I can't wait till warm weather to see how it's doing. |
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| My two newest hives. I don't think the one on the right will make it through the winter. But I can hope. |
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| What do my children do in the snow? Snowball fights? Build snowmen? No. They play football. |
Laurie
Friday, January 14, 2011
Aaahhh! The Simple Life
Good Morning! Yesterday seemed like such an easy day when it started. I had kept my calendar clear of everything except traveling to meet my parents halfway and pick up Michaela, who has been enjoying a week at the grandparents. After an extremely late start (which I had help creating) the trip went well. We met at a Burger King, ate lunch, enjoyed a short visit with my parents, picked up Michaela and returned home. It was upon the return that things went completely out of my control.
The stray Michaela had taken in had knocked the bag of salt for deicing off the box it had been sitting on and it was E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. In the middle of cleaning this up, phone calls started coming in. (Did I turn an open sign on when I drove in?) OK, that's cleaned up.
I put the water on to heat for the lasagna noodles and begin to prepare to go do the evening feeding.
A gentleman, who usually shows up at my farm when he has a problem with one of his animals, shows up with a problem with one of his animals, this time a 3 month old Jersey heifer. After determining what could be the problem (without seeing the animal and picking my southeast NC way through a strong middle eastern accent), I was in the middle of giving him some suggestions when I hear glass shatter behind me. My Australian Shepherd, whose self given job is to protect the property from any and all visitors, had broken the glass in one of my bedroom windows. Oh, wonderful! My house is 100 years old this year. The windows, as well as some of the glass itself, are all the originals. This means that I will have to take the storm window off, chip out the glazing, remove the pieces of glass and try to piece them back together to get an exact size, go purchase another piece of glass, put it in, reglaze the window, and paint. And if I am going to do one pane, I may as well get the whole window done. Meanwhile, it's going to be 20 degrees tonight.
The phone rings, again. It's Ray this time. With news that the farm that was breeding my Jersey and three of my Boer goats will be bringing them back tonight. OK.........Wait, I have no dairy feed (the feed store was out on Saturday). A quick call to the feed store, no they still don't have any until their truck comes in after lunch on Friday. The other feed store in town has something I could use, so I turn off the lasagna water, which has been boiling away unnoticed, jump in the car, and head to the feed store to get there before they close. Oh yeah, I also have to pick up Kelsey and Tessa from their respective work places at 5pm. And pick up dog food, because I have none. A fact that no one thought would be important to me (or the dogs obviously). I give up the lasagna idea. Since I have to stop at the grocery store for the dog food, I might as well save myself some stress and pick up supper. This actually becomes a major blow to my budget: 1medium/1 large bag of house brand dog food, 1 rotisserie chicken, 1 fried chicken, 1 bag of garlic bread, and 1 bag of salad mix = $57......ouch). Stress-savers are very expensive.
Back home, Maggie is back in the pasture eating hay. The three Boers are working out herd leadership status. Ray has done my animals. Ashley arrives home from work to get supper laid out. Tessa helps Michaela with the goats. After a quick bite of supper while semi-watching ELF, we all head to bed, extremely glad to see it. The dishes can wait.....I know without a doubt they will be here when I get up.
And they are.
May Yahweh bless us both in this new day!
Laurie
The stray Michaela had taken in had knocked the bag of salt for deicing off the box it had been sitting on and it was E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. In the middle of cleaning this up, phone calls started coming in. (Did I turn an open sign on when I drove in?) OK, that's cleaned up.
I put the water on to heat for the lasagna noodles and begin to prepare to go do the evening feeding.
A gentleman, who usually shows up at my farm when he has a problem with one of his animals, shows up with a problem with one of his animals, this time a 3 month old Jersey heifer. After determining what could be the problem (without seeing the animal and picking my southeast NC way through a strong middle eastern accent), I was in the middle of giving him some suggestions when I hear glass shatter behind me. My Australian Shepherd, whose self given job is to protect the property from any and all visitors, had broken the glass in one of my bedroom windows. Oh, wonderful! My house is 100 years old this year. The windows, as well as some of the glass itself, are all the originals. This means that I will have to take the storm window off, chip out the glazing, remove the pieces of glass and try to piece them back together to get an exact size, go purchase another piece of glass, put it in, reglaze the window, and paint. And if I am going to do one pane, I may as well get the whole window done. Meanwhile, it's going to be 20 degrees tonight.
The phone rings, again. It's Ray this time. With news that the farm that was breeding my Jersey and three of my Boer goats will be bringing them back tonight. OK.........Wait, I have no dairy feed (the feed store was out on Saturday). A quick call to the feed store, no they still don't have any until their truck comes in after lunch on Friday. The other feed store in town has something I could use, so I turn off the lasagna water, which has been boiling away unnoticed, jump in the car, and head to the feed store to get there before they close. Oh yeah, I also have to pick up Kelsey and Tessa from their respective work places at 5pm. And pick up dog food, because I have none. A fact that no one thought would be important to me (or the dogs obviously). I give up the lasagna idea. Since I have to stop at the grocery store for the dog food, I might as well save myself some stress and pick up supper. This actually becomes a major blow to my budget: 1medium/1 large bag of house brand dog food, 1 rotisserie chicken, 1 fried chicken, 1 bag of garlic bread, and 1 bag of salad mix = $57......ouch). Stress-savers are very expensive.
Back home, Maggie is back in the pasture eating hay. The three Boers are working out herd leadership status. Ray has done my animals. Ashley arrives home from work to get supper laid out. Tessa helps Michaela with the goats. After a quick bite of supper while semi-watching ELF, we all head to bed, extremely glad to see it. The dishes can wait.....I know without a doubt they will be here when I get up.
And they are.
May Yahweh bless us both in this new day!
Laurie
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A Christmas Blessing
Good Morning! The weather has been a little strange the last couple of years as the earth settles into another of its cycles. Snow is not a normal occurrence in my neck of the woods. If it does occur, it is usually in late February or early March. And we almost never measure accumulation in inches, never mind multiple inches. This year we had 4 inches of snow on December 26th! What fun! And an added bonus to our Christmas holiday. This was the closest we've come to a white Christmas since 1989 when we had 15 inches on the ground at Christmas.
The "Day after Christmas" snow was a special blessing for our family. First, a little background. We usually have our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, clean up, open the kid's "Secret Santa" gifts (the children exchange names on Thanksgiving), watch a Christmas video and read the story of the birth of Jesus from Luke 2. This year we combined the last two and watched The Nativity Story on dvd. It was excellent and will most likely become a Christmas Eve tradition. On Christmas morning we get up and open up "Santa's" gifts, have breakfast, and just enjoy the day. I don't monitor candy eating for the day and meals consist of leftovers, so I don't have to cook. If you're hungry, fix a plate and nuke it. There really is no schedule and, other than the animal chores, nothing is really expected from anyone. Gifts from family members are saved until the afternoon. We usually do this to prevent a free-for-all and to make the day last a little longer.
This year began much as every other Christmas and when we had finished opening gifts Christmas morning I took the opportunity to make my holiday phone calls to family. I called my parents first to make sure I caught them before they headed to my sister's house. Instead of the animated voices I usually get from my parents, I noticed that they were subdued and less than joyous. The reason soon became clear. Due to some overnight illness and other complications, my grandmother was spending Christmas alone, my grandfather having passed away several years ago. It was really bothering both of my parents, but there was nothing they could do. It was an eight hour drive from their house to my grandmother's and by the time they could get there Christmas would be over. I continued to talk to my parents, but could tell that they were not going to be able to enjoy the holiday.
After hanging up with my parents, I asked Ray if he minded if I took a quick trip. My grandmother's home is about 2 1/2 hours from mine and I figured that I could get up there, visit 2-3 hours, and still be home before the bad weather they were predicting would hit. When the children found out, they all wanted to go also. It was finally decided that Ray and Michaela would stay behind and ready the animals/farm for the storm, while the rest of the family would travel up to Edgecombe County. Having had to disappoint my grandmothers in the past with scheduled visits that fell apart at the last minute, I chose not to call first, but to surprise her instead. We took the gifts which she had sent the children with us so that she could see them opened. And off we went.
Yahweh blessed the trip immensely. The time passed quickly, the drive was quiet, and we encountered no problems. We arrived at my grandmother's home just as she finished her lunch. And surprise her we did! She was so excited! We had a wonderful visit and she really enjoyed watching the children open their gifts. After about 3 hours we left and headed back home. Once again a quiet trip with no problems. I arrived home to a phone call from my dad sounding much more like his usual self. I ended the day feeling so blessed that my small action had blessed several people so much. I am so glad I followed the Holy Spirits leading and went to visit. I am so thankful to be blessed with children who willingly gave up their plans and expectations for the day in order to cheer up someone else.
And we were blessed in return. We woke up the next morning to a winter wonderland and enjoyed our "Christmas day" one day late.
I don't relate this to toot my own horn. The only thing I really did right was follow Holy Spirit's leading. The Bible teaches us that "no good thing resides in me". We all want to be blessed. However, sometimes Yahweh wants us to BE the blessing. And I discovered that that feels even better than being blessed. It is so important that we be in tune with Yahweh and listening for His voice and His direction. In the coming year, make it a priority to listen out for that "still, small voice". If you do, you will reap untold blessings.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The "Day after Christmas" snow was a special blessing for our family. First, a little background. We usually have our Christmas meal on Christmas Eve, clean up, open the kid's "Secret Santa" gifts (the children exchange names on Thanksgiving), watch a Christmas video and read the story of the birth of Jesus from Luke 2. This year we combined the last two and watched The Nativity Story on dvd. It was excellent and will most likely become a Christmas Eve tradition. On Christmas morning we get up and open up "Santa's" gifts, have breakfast, and just enjoy the day. I don't monitor candy eating for the day and meals consist of leftovers, so I don't have to cook. If you're hungry, fix a plate and nuke it. There really is no schedule and, other than the animal chores, nothing is really expected from anyone. Gifts from family members are saved until the afternoon. We usually do this to prevent a free-for-all and to make the day last a little longer.
This year began much as every other Christmas and when we had finished opening gifts Christmas morning I took the opportunity to make my holiday phone calls to family. I called my parents first to make sure I caught them before they headed to my sister's house. Instead of the animated voices I usually get from my parents, I noticed that they were subdued and less than joyous. The reason soon became clear. Due to some overnight illness and other complications, my grandmother was spending Christmas alone, my grandfather having passed away several years ago. It was really bothering both of my parents, but there was nothing they could do. It was an eight hour drive from their house to my grandmother's and by the time they could get there Christmas would be over. I continued to talk to my parents, but could tell that they were not going to be able to enjoy the holiday.
After hanging up with my parents, I asked Ray if he minded if I took a quick trip. My grandmother's home is about 2 1/2 hours from mine and I figured that I could get up there, visit 2-3 hours, and still be home before the bad weather they were predicting would hit. When the children found out, they all wanted to go also. It was finally decided that Ray and Michaela would stay behind and ready the animals/farm for the storm, while the rest of the family would travel up to Edgecombe County. Having had to disappoint my grandmothers in the past with scheduled visits that fell apart at the last minute, I chose not to call first, but to surprise her instead. We took the gifts which she had sent the children with us so that she could see them opened. And off we went.
Yahweh blessed the trip immensely. The time passed quickly, the drive was quiet, and we encountered no problems. We arrived at my grandmother's home just as she finished her lunch. And surprise her we did! She was so excited! We had a wonderful visit and she really enjoyed watching the children open their gifts. After about 3 hours we left and headed back home. Once again a quiet trip with no problems. I arrived home to a phone call from my dad sounding much more like his usual self. I ended the day feeling so blessed that my small action had blessed several people so much. I am so glad I followed the Holy Spirits leading and went to visit. I am so thankful to be blessed with children who willingly gave up their plans and expectations for the day in order to cheer up someone else.
And we were blessed in return. We woke up the next morning to a winter wonderland and enjoyed our "Christmas day" one day late.
I don't relate this to toot my own horn. The only thing I really did right was follow Holy Spirit's leading. The Bible teaches us that "no good thing resides in me". We all want to be blessed. However, sometimes Yahweh wants us to BE the blessing. And I discovered that that feels even better than being blessed. It is so important that we be in tune with Yahweh and listening for His voice and His direction. In the coming year, make it a priority to listen out for that "still, small voice". If you do, you will reap untold blessings.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
A New Beginning
Well, here I am. Starting a new blog. I had previously been blogging over at Homesteadblogger, but the changes last year to WordPress left the site totally unmanageable, at least for me. If you are interested in reading the past posts at the other blog, just follow this link. I am hoping with this new location that I will be able to do more. Part of my problem with the other site was that I couldn't post any pictures, which is kinda boring. Hopefully, this site will allow me to do the things I want to develop the blog into not only a record of our homesteading experience, but also to help others learn and enjoy the same things our family does.
So welcome to our home and I hope you come back often.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day,
Laurie
So welcome to our home and I hope you come back often.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day,
Laurie
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