Farm Happenings

I thought I'd update what is going on around here, not that anyone is really interested but primarily because I have a bad memory, and someone will ask me in a year, "when was Curly sick?" etc., etc.,

Curly is our goat.  One of our mature male bucks.  He came here with his two brothers (Larry and Mo).  Mo died young from ingesting  (unsupervised) an entire bag of feed corn.  Corn and goats don't mix, especially that much.  Praise God we now have a door on the barn, and the goats can be kept out.  Before that, our feed was stored in the back of the car.

Curly hasn't been acting right for awhile now.  He, more often than not, lays down to eat.  He gets tired easily.  Not sure what his problem really is, but he started having respiratory issues on Saturday.  I gave him an injection of penicillin, and another on Sunday.  Today, he was back out with the herd eating.  He had been occupying a spot next to the water trough, we were resolved he wasn't going to make it.  So far so good.  Next step in treatment will be to worm him.  I don't normally worm my animals with a commercial wormer, so I will up his dose of DE (diatomaceous earth) to help treat any parasites he may have.

It's been raining all day here today.  We had a small rain episode on Saturday afternoon, right as we were finishing up the chicken butchering.  I feel a little better now that the house is all dried in, but we still need to add the tar paper.  (I said "we" didn't I? LOL, I meant the PH "we".  ;-)

PH also purchased four windows to put in downstairs (he forgot we have five windows).  There are not any windows at all on the North Side, as that side faces the container.  I'd like a door from the kitchen into the container, but that will be a future project.  Poor PH ;-)

So, I think the house project looks like this:

1) add tar paper
2) add windows and door(s)
3) add Tyvek wrap
4) add Hardi Plank
5) add metal roofing

Then Wa La! the outside is complete.

At that time, I am hoping to be able to move into the house, and start working on the inside little by little.  I should be able to do the insulation on my own.  I've done insulation before with my dad, lots of times.  I believe I can handle that much.  I'd like to finish the pantry first, then the Master Bedroom, followed by the bath, the kid's rooms,   and the kitchen.

Bo and Duke attacked our calf tonight.  If it happens again, they might be moving on to the Happy Hunting Ground.  Molly was very traumatized by the unprovoked attack.  Duke was the instigator.  He is a herding dog, and he constantly tries to herd her.   This then riles up Bo.  Duke isn't even a year old, and he is forgetting his place in the order of things.  He even growled at Beta the other day.  I was hoping she would eat his lunch, but she basically ignored him.  I don't know if this means he won that encounter, or she didn't consider him important enough to bother with??  Anyone, speak dog?

Tomorrow we will be picking up pecans (again) at a friend's house, in the rain.  i am not looking forward to being wet and cold, but I do want the pecans.  I plan to shell them all, and vacuum seal them.

We've Got Meat!

* WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS A FEW BUTCHERING SCENES OF CHICKENS! DON'T GO FURTHER IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!*

For the past two months I have refrained from purchasing any meat, knowing that we would be butchering our Freedom Ranger chickens "soon".  Well, the soon turned into later, as cold/wet weather pushed the moment back several times, and then sunny weather prompted PH to work on the house after a long delay.  We were eating venison every day, and while I am grateful for the meat, it gets tiring eating the same type of meat every day.  I was yearning for chicken, but refused to pay $15-$20 a chicken to the local farmer, when I had 23 in my barn.

Well, yesterday we got up early, got the fire going to keep the water heated. 

 I had set up stations the day before, with all the necessary equipment.  Our friends who had butchered for the first time recently arrived to help, and we were off.  It was actually fun!  Not gross at all (though I wasn't the one dispatching the chickens), and I am ready to do it again!

We butchered 18, leaving five (one rooster and 4 hens) for hopefully, and prayerfully breeding additional meat chickens.

Dispatching Station

Plucking Station

I made fried chicken last night for dinner, and baked a chicken for today's Lord's Day Monthly Church Fellowship Lunch.  I rubbed the chicken with olive oil and garlic, then rosemary.  Stuffed the cavity with apples and onions.  It smelled so good cooking last night, I can't wait to eat it!

Cooking and Eating Station

I'll post pictures later, off to get ready for worship services ;-)

So far this week...

The weather has been beautiful.  We did receive 2 inches of rain last weekend, but this week it starts out cloudy and overcast in the morning, but by later afternoon it has been wonderful and SUNNY!  Today it was 85!  Perfect Spring weather~

We did laundry, and were able to hang it out to dry.  Yeah!

Our 3/4 hp meat grinder came by UPS today.  It is very heavy!  PS#2 asked what it was, and I told him it was to chop up meat into hamburger.  He go excited and said "Meat! Deer Meat Mama? Animal Meat mama?! I like animal meat."  That made me laugh, I don't know what other kind of meat there would be.  

I am on the hunt for a good sausage recipe.  I have a quarter of a hog, and a quarter of a deer that I'd like to mix to make sausage, but since I haven't done it before, I will need to research the process.

I also planted 72 bean plants (1/2 pinto, 1/2 black bean).  Of the 26 tomato plants I transplanted only half have survived, so there will be another round of tomato seeds planted, but I think I will do it directly into the raised bed. 

PH also found a whole house fan at Lowe's on clearance.  It was $200 OFF, making it $89.  We were planning to get one, but later on.  He took advantage of the price and snapped it up.  I was so happy!
He also brought home the tar paper, and has ordered (2) 16' X 40' tarps (the kind used on cotton bales) to put on the roof until the roof is complete. 

After the tar paper, we will be moving onto Hardi Plank to side the house.  We were originally going with Hardi Board, but PH changed his mind. I am for whatever is the easiest and the fastest.

We have a back door already that needs to be hung, and two vanity sinks.  Can't decide which to use.  One is a wall hanging model, the other has a pedestal base.  I am leaning towards the pedestal one. 

I spent yesterday doing a preliminary design of the kitchen.  We aren't to that point yet, but I am trying to walk through the canning and meat processing routines to make sure I have what I need in place to make our food processing easier and more stream lined.

Update on "What I've done to prep this week"

It's been a little over a week since I last posted, so I thought I'd update what we have done lately to prepare.  We are preparing for more drought this summer, and possible wildfires again.  PH installed a rain water catchment system on the barn tonight.  I was so surprised and very happy.  I had sent him the link at work, for "the list" after the house project was completed, or at a standstill.  He came home tonight with the supplies.  We had the bakery buckets already, as well as, the three concrete blocks (exactly the number needed!) and a friend of his had the barrels.  He purchased the gutter, connectors, downspout and faucet. 

Here are the directions (I'll take pictures in the morning of our new water collection system):  http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Rainwater-Collection-System

We are keeping the fences cleared, and the wood pile stacked neatly and away from fence lines.  We are making sure the 1100 gallon water tank is topped off, and the fire hoses and sprinklers are on the shelf, waiting and in good repair plus actually working.

Brush has been burned in the fire pit, and the goats are keeping the dried brush away from our fence line by poking their heads through and eating it.  A few also like to escape to eat in the adjoining fields.  Our neighbors to the North doesn't mind, he doesn't live there and only comes out once a month or so.  The property to the South is vacant and unsold, and the land agent is okay with the goats meandering over there every now and then.  I'd love to put a gate in that side, for them to be able to go eat to their heart's content.

We've been busy working on the new house too this weekend.  PH finished putting up the boards to wall in the house.  The kids and I (mostly just me) cleaned up inside.  Collecting nails, screws and tools and placing them in a container, throwing out all trash, stacking useable lumber, and placing scraps in a bucket for the wood stove.  Afterwards, we swept the entire house free of sawdust, dirt and assorted debris.  It looks pretty good in there ;-) I'm ready to move in...

Backside

View of the ceiling in the loft

The view from one of the 2nd story windows

I always wanted a fireplace in my bedroom

Roses Are Red, Violet Is a Mama!

Violet.  The name itself invokes mental pictures of pretty, little flowers waving gently in the breeze.  Well, to most people.  If you say the name Violet around here it brings disgusted snorts, and eye rolling.  You see Violet is our 3 year old Boer doe.  She arrived on our farm as a beautiful little doeling.  This did not last long, as she got her head stuck and ripped her right ear in half (long way), almost completely to the top of her head.  It kind of gives her this modern, teenage rebel look.  It is nothing to come home and see Violet out in the field, in 110 degree temps, with her head stuck in the fence.  She patiently waits, because she knows we will come rescue her eventually.  I knew we should have de-horned her (sigh).  There is something different about Violet. I've often wondered if she were brain damaged, because she is  VERY different from our other goats.  She even looks "off" in the face.  Not sure what is really wrong with her.

Another issue is that she would never allow any of the bucks near her, even when she was in heat.  She would RUN away, and they could never catch her.  She wanted nothing to do with any of them.  All the other does became mamas, one by one, over the year, but not Violet.  We were told she was probably sterile, but I was convinced she was just chaste by choice *smile*

This year was different.  We noticed Violet plumping up, and we were hopeful she was pregnant, but time was going by and nothing.  As big as she was, we thought she would have delivered months ago.  Nothing happened, and she looked slimmer.  I thought maybe she had a miscarriage, but yesterday we arrived home to find she had given birth to twins (a boy and a girl).  Unfortunately, it was raining hard, and she delivered into a puddle of water, and it appears the little boy drowned.  The little girl faired better, and is HUGE.  She is the size of the two week old kids, while the one that died was TINY.  It was very sad, though I believe our mortality rate was low.  Out of six does, all six kidded.  We had a total of 10 kids born and 2 died.  One of suffocation, as the sac was still on it's head when we found it. And the other was underwater when we found it.

A kidding stall is on the list, and I plan to pay better attention to breeding schedules, so that I can confine them to the barn or a stall.  Maybe our survival rate will be 100% next time. 

Violet's little girl is named Olive.  I'll get a picture soon of her.  She is black and white just like her dad Larry.

********************************
Today,  PH worked on the house (he is adding the plywood for the walls and the Tyvek wrap) Praise the Lord!    I did laundry, canned carrots, taco meat and meatballs.  I also used my new vacuum sealer and sealed rice, beans, dried peas, oats, and pasta.  PH purchased the vacuum sealer to use for when we butcher the chickens, but I had to practice.  He also purchased a meat grinder so that we will be able to grind our own meat when we butcher the goats, pigs, chickens, etc.  It is a commercial grade, 3/4 hp grinder.  I am very happy!  (that makes me weird doesn't it? ha! ha!)

Gardening and Valentine's Day

Today after schoolwork we worked in the garden.  PD#2 used the little red wagon to haul my tomato seedlings to the garden.  After planting 72 tomato seeds only 26 germinated and sprouted.  Not a very good germination rate, but I am sure if I had a greenhouse the rate would have been better.  I transplanted the 26 seedlings to the raised bed.  The rest of the egg cartons containing the ungerminated seed I dumped into a prepared bed, raked the soil lightly and am waiting to see if any more will sprout there in the sun.  It was a beautiful day today, so I am hopeful they will sprout.  If not, I'll plant more seeds.

We also planted 50 onion sets/plants in two prepared bed areas.  I raked the entire, small pile of chicken/goat/horse manure and hay pile into the area where we will be planting corn in a few weeks.  I am hoping to get six rows, but PH thinks four is more likely.

The lone peach tree we planted last year has flexible branches, so it is a possibility that the goats didn't kill it.  They continuously stripped the leaves from it, no matter how hard we tried to fence them out.  This year we are hopeful our new fence will keep them out.  Plus, we have installed an electric fence (solar charged) to divide the acreage in half.

One of the baby goats born yesterday, the white one, we named Poppy.  Poppy is not doing so well.  She is very wobbly still, lies down too much and won't nurse.  She keeps arching her back which is not a good sign.  Tonight her mama started acting strange after eating a scoop of sweet feed.  She acted like she was choking, and had continuous saliva/drool drip from her mouth.  I believe she has an impacted cud, and am praying she recovers.  We will check her cheeks again in the morning, if she makes it, to remove anything.  I will run to get mineral oil in the morning to dose her, plus get a calf bolus (like a laxative) to help.  I am praying she will be recovered in the morning though, but I think it means no more sweet feed for her.  I am putting a bale of alfalfa on the shopping list for Thursday so that all the mamas will get additional nutrition while they are nursing in these early days.  Plus, several goat blocks would be a good idea, along with more DE for worming.

The all black doeling we named Holly (I wanted Nightshade but was outvoted).  That little girl is very active, and definitely knows where her food is, I wish she would show her sister!

For Valentine's PH and I went into the small town closest to us and had dinner, the kids stayed home, and we brought them dinner.  It was really nice to be able to sit and eat without fussing, or running someone to the bathroom.  Honestly, I was so happy and relieved when PH suggested going without the kids.  I love them, but it was a stressful day and I needed some quiet time.

PS#2 is taking a sign language class for toddlers at our home school co-op.  He really isn't into practicing the signs, but he is obviously paying attention because when I do them, he can tell me what they are, he thinks it is a game.  When signing the word "Jesus" he thinks it means the entire song of "Jesus Loves Me". ;-)  He is also studying Creation, and Phonics.  The fourth hour he either stays with me in my Emergency Prep class, or plays in the nursery with his little friend Monkey Boy.  ;-)  I stay with PS#2 in his first three classes.

PD#1 is taking a Science course on energy, a guitar class, a devotional class for young ladies, and a high school writing course.  PD#2 is taking a class on major U.S. Rivers and Water Conservation, an Art Class, one called Pizza Party (a unit study on Italy) and Music.

Have a good week, and I will check in later this week to share what we have done to prepare and to get your progress.

More Goat Babies

The PKs and I arrived home to see PH crouching under a tree close to the front gate.  We call it the "birthing tree" because the majority of our goats like to give birth here.  No idea why??

Well, Chamomile, our young doe FINALLY gave birth today.  I was walking to the garden this morning, and saw her hanging out away from the herd, and she was HUGE.  I swear her udder looked as big as a Jersey's, and even now her udder is huge, and she appears to have lost a lot of muscle tone in her abdomen area.  I think it is because she had triplets.  She is the first one of our goats to have triplets, unfortunately, one of them didn't make it.  PH arrived to home to find the third one still in it's sac, and it had apparently suffocated.  Poor little thing.  I can't blame the mama too much, she did deliver two little girls, and I am sure she was tired by the time the third little girl arrived.  Here are a few pictures.

Chamomile (mom) and her ALL black kid (this is NOT NORMAL)

Boer kids are normally two color, white with a second (usually brown, but we have tan and black too)

The other little girl

Trying to stand

I am trying to come up with flower/plant names for these two little girls.  I wanted Nightshade (for the black one) and Narcissus (white), but PD#1 thinks they are stupid names.  I don't want Daisy or Rose, I want something unique, so I still might name them my choice.  The name needs to fit with the Family.  Bluebonnet, Violet, Chamomile, Dandelion, etc., So, I have looked up a list of flower names in English and Latin trying to find a good one.  We'll discuss it tomorrow when the girls are awake.

Sprouted Tomato Seedlings

Working the raised bed in order to plant onions

It rained last night, not too much, more of a misting all night.  Had our home school co-op meeting today.  The girls really enjoyed it.  Normally, I don't like going, but today was a good day.  I am really NOT a morning person, and to get up and actually accomplish chores and such before leaving at the crack of dawn is not me.  Okay, it wasn't the crack of dawn, but to leave at 9 a.m. felt like it.  I really like teaching my Emergency Preparedness Class.

After handling the goat situation, arrived at the "house" to discover one of the goats, we are blaming Larry, had broken off the spigot and water had flooded the entire yard, which means the pump/booster pump was running a good long time. A lot of water was wasted.  We should have really nice green grass in front of the house in a few weeks, if it warms up.

Everyone is tired and feeling a little blah, the change of weather always makes us a little sick.  Going from 26 one day to 65 the next, our bodies don't adjust very well. The PKs went to bed much earlier than normal.

Carrots, Stew and Snow?

Carrots (left) and Venison Stew (right)

 We've been busy out here on the prairie.  PH worked on the house roof, and is a hair away from being finished with the plywood portion.  I'll take a picture when it is done.  I am so excited!  Every little baby step means that much closer to our own Little House on the Prairie.  PH noticed a couple checking out the property twenty acres over.  If anyone remembers we had neighbors before, but I hoped they would leave..they did.. Now others are back (sigh).  I hope they don't buy it.  I like being alone out here.  I know that sounds selfish, but I don't care.  Every time someone moves near by they cause problems for us.

Today I was busy with getting the laundry caught up, didn't happen, but I made a tiny dent.  Hung out three loads of laundry, and need to put a fourth in tonight before bed (which means a 500 foot trip to the wash house).  I need to head out and close it all up, since we are expecting temps of 31 in town (it's normally 5 degrees colder here) and possible SNOW FLURRIES! Can you believe it?

I made Venison Stew last night and processed 4 pints this morning.  I also spent a couple of hours last night washing, peeling and dicing carrots to pack into pints today.  I've discovered I like pints better than quarts, which is a huge change for me.  I've been processing everything in quarts for years, but pints work better, smaller portions and less waste. I was able to fill 10 pints with diced carrots, and have the first four in the pressure canner now.  They are cooling down, so I'll have two more canner loads (one with four, and one with two).  As an afterthought, I should have used my new canner, I could have probably done it all at once (sigh).  Live and learn.

I am going to make a confession.  Our cold temps caught me by surprise.  I try to have kerosene on hand for our kerosene heater, but after using our last gallon a couple of weeks ago, I put off re-filling them.  I didn't have the extra money to spend BUT with the temperature dropping so rapidly, and unexpectedly tonight, I had to reallcoate funds to go towards kerosene.  This means I ended up spending twice the amount of money for the same amount of fuel.  At the fuel depot the cost is $4.00 a gallon, I paid $10.49 for a gallon this afternoon, because the fuel depot is closed on the weekend.  An expensive lesson.  We will be filling the kerosene containers on Monday, so we will be ready for the next cold spell.  We heat the main part of the house with the wood stove, but the back bedroom is too far from the stove, and is ICE cold.  When you can see your breath inside, it's time for another heat source to help out.  The living room is nice and toasty.  I love sitting by the wood stove at night.


After watching the "Doomsday Prepper" show the other evening, I have resolved to can something at least once a week.  The people on the show spend 6-8 hours EVERY day preserving food.  I was shocked.  Since I was given a lot of produce the past several weeks, I needed to do something with it before it went bad, we just can't eat it fast enough.  Some I gave to the pigs today, the carrots I canned.  I have dehydrating peppers on the list for tomorrow after church, as well as, making pie filling and canning. 

So my count for this weekend is:

4 pints of stew
10 pints of carrots

Our chickens are laying LOTS all of a sudden.  The girls collected 20 eggs this morning!  I was so happy!  That makes 5 dozen eggs this week.  I'll be taking the surplus to church tomorrow morning.  This next week we will load up the incubator to hatch our some chicks, then preserve some with mineral oil.

A few of our eggs earlier in the week

This is what REAL free ranged egg yolks look like, not those anemic looking store bought eggs.

Corn Dog Muffins

Have a great Sabbath!

Venison Stew

I was given a bunch of vegetables recently, and I've been at a loss of what to do with them.  So, along with the venison we were given, I decided to make PH venison stew.  It is adapted from Jackie Clay's recipe at Backwoods Home Magazine. 

1 lb of venison (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 quart potatoes (cut into chunks)
1 quart carrots (cut into chunks)
1/2 large onion (cut into large pieces)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp Watkins Beef Soup Starter
4 cups water or tomato juice
Olive Oil
flour

Dredge venison pieces in flour, and brown in olive oil in cast iron pan.  Remove and drain.  Add all chopped vegetables to crock pot or dutch oven.  Add seasonings and water or juice.  Cook on low for several hours until done.  Eat right away or can in pint jars for 90 minutes.

I'll be canning carrots tomorrow, and dehydrating green peppers and onions.  With the apples I'll be making pie, and dehydrating more apples, as well as, oranges.  It will be a busy day.

Update on "What I've done to prep this week"

This week we learned about Emergency Preparedness, talked about bug out bags, I taught a class on Emergency Preparedness, ordered 7 #10 cans of food for the pantry, bought a box of 525 .22LR cartridges, 3 whistles for the gran n go bags, 2 new bags, pepper spray, two additional metal/blue enamelware plates to replace my breakable ones that are almost gone. 

We started more seeds for the garden too...It's been a long week!

Reality Check

I have been blogging for 6 years.  At my old blog, I was way more doom and gloom, keeping track of global and national events.  I try to keep this one lighter, but you know reality has a way of popping up.  Early in my life I was employed with a couple of government agencies and learned a lot about how our government works.  I was 18 years old at my first government job, and had my rose colored glasses ripped off and stomped on by how the government was really working.  To say I was crushed to learn that our government didn't have our best interests at heart would be an understatement.  I was truly shattered.  I know that may sound cheesy to some, but you see I was raised to be a loyal, patriotic American, and to respect those in authority.  To learn that sometimes those in authority don't deserve that respect was an eye opener.

I learned some useful things in those government jobs.  One being that when our government closes an embassy and pulls it's staff home, that it is a BAD indicator (or rather a GOOD indicator of BAD things in the works).  On Monday, we were on our way to our home school co-op when I heard on the radio that the U.S. had closed it's Syrian embassy and removed the staff.  I don't know what prompted it, but I was so shaken I started crying, and I am not a crier.  In all possibilities Israel will attack Syria, which will put us into the conflict on the side of Israel.  I am all for supporting Israel, I just truly pray they make the correct decisions.  The realization that the world is truly in a down ward spiral (something I knew already) literally smacked me in the face.  Sometimes knowing "inside" information on what things in the media REALLY mean isn't helpful to my state of mind.  On one hand I like to know what is going on so I can be ready, on the other hand there is that part of me that wishes I could live with my head in the sand, and go merrily on my way living my life.

So if you were coming here tonight for some cute pictures of new born goats, or of my sprouted tomato seeds, sorry to disappoint you. 

I'd like to take this opportunity to strongly urge any readers to evaluate their relationship with God, and to know that God Loves You.  I'd also like to strongly urge my family and friends to PLEASE wake up and realize that your nice little world isn't going to remain so forever.  Ignoring the inevitable isn't responsible and definitely isn't biblical.  I am past the point of passively allowing people to ridicule me for my beliefs and lifestyle, so please don't go there anymore. For 12 years now the Lord has been urging me to instruct and guide those around me, but I feel that urging slowly dissipating.  The time is rapidly approaching when the Comforter will be withdrawn, as well as, the time when I'll no longer speak of preparing for the hard times ahead.  If people don't listen to the Lord, they definitely won't listen to me.

I am in such sorrow, anger and despair that people are ignoring the obvious, and think it's actually funny to make fun of these "radical" doomsday prepping type.  I am tired of hearing "this is good for my family", when in reality, they have NO idea what is good for their family, if they aren't looking to the Word of God for guidance.  I am in constant prayer for those around me, and for our nation. 

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled goat frolic.

I'm so excited!

 

 Yeah!, My FIRST ever BLOG award.  I am so thankful! Thanks to Mrs. Lewis at 

A Godly Homemaker Blog - http://www.agodlyhomemaker.com

1. Add the award to your blog.

2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.

3. Mention seven random things about yourself.  (see below)

4. List the rules.

5. Award to 15 bloggers.

6. Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven random things about myself? Yikes!

1.  I live in a shipping container.

2.  I accepted Christ at 6 years old.

3.  I am studying herbal medicine.

4.  I have a son 23 and one 3.

5.  My paternal family is related to the Hatfields (Hatfields and McCoys Fame)

6.  I love Little House on the Prairie and related things.

7.  The women in my family have historically been widowed young, and live into

their 90s. (a bunch of bossy old women makes for a lot of interesting family events).

15 bloggers

1.  www.krissimplyliving.blogspot.com

2.  www.whatifitistoday.blogspot.com

3.   www.smallhold-pioneerpreppy.blogspot.com

4.  www.paratusfamiliablog.com

5.   www.walkedwithangels.blogspot.com

6.  www.queenacresonline.blogspot.com

7.  www.freedomacresfarm.blogspot.com

8.  www.walkedwithangels.blogspot.com

9. http://homesteadersheart.blogspot.com

10. http://eclectichomeschooler.blogspot.com

11.www.rural-revolution.com

12. www.providencelodge.blogspot.com

13.www.freedomacres.blogspot.com

14.www.queensedgefarm.blogspot.com

15. www.ladyashleydesigns.wordpress.com