Freedom Rangers

We had ordered 25 Freedom Ranger chicks to raise for our first meat bird experiment.  They arrived last Thursday AT the post office in a box....

Chicks in a box

Surprise! They are alive!

 

 

A few of the chicks - there are 26 in all.

We have been busy shuffling animals around, stacking hay and basically winterizing (for South TX) our little farm.  The dogs are now running loose (not desirable, but we need to build a pen for them), the calf and piggies are in the former dog/goat pen.  This leaves the goats without shelter from the rain, which is going to make them VERY upset.  

The new chicks are in the chicken tractor in the barn, until tomorrow when we will put them in the girls playhouse with a heat lamp...it is supposed to be in the 30s and 40s the rest of the week, through the weekend.

Our church family met here for a bonfire Friday night.  It was really awesome.  We are doing discipleship training, working on our relationship(s) with God and each other.  It was a wonderful time of sharing our testimonies, child hood memories and other ways that God has validated our walk with Him.  Really touching and inspirational.  

Our congregation is also helping a homeless family.  Please be in prayer for this family of five (two parents and three kids).  We are working on housing for them, and one of our member's has offered the husband a job in their company.  Another family we know will be hosting them for Thanksgiving.  It is really great to be able to help.  I believe this marks the distinction between Christians and non-Christians.  Christians will help even when we ourselves don't have much.  I am sure some non-Christians would, as there are some basically "good" people, but many will just pass the needy by.  I am thankful to be able to be in a position to do what I can, as are others in our group.  

We had our first Homeschool Market Days this past weekend also.  The PDs worked hard on their items for sell for two solid weeks.  They showed a remarkable work ethic, and I am very proud of them.

 I'll have to add more pictures later, Blogger is acting up tonight.

Our Weekend in Pictures

Picking up Pecans with Big Brother

 PS#2 picking up MORE pecans

PS#2 opening the gate for Mama

 Back view of house - ready for rafters

Pretty good for a pay as you go plan

 Chicken coop with new chicken yard behind 

(you can barely see the wire fencing I put up around the trees)

Chickens in their new yard

 Gate with sticks woven in the wire to make openings smaler

New back door to coop so chicks can get inside at night
We are putting a hinge on the little door so we can shut it at night

Feeding the horses - our nightly routine

This is Selena our Quarab

More pictures to come later!

Cooler Weather and LOTS of rain!

We had a MASSIVE storm center that came through last night/early a.m.  It began raining about midnight and didn't stop until 10 a.m.  The thunder and lightening were horrific, and the NOISE!  You haven't lived through a storm like this until you've lived in a metal storage container.  It was impossible to sleep, so we were all dragging this morning.  It was so dark and dreary in here, I neglected to get up, thinking it was early still, and was late for church.  The creekbed was flooded anyway, and even going over the bridge to avoid it wouldn't have done any good.  The upper part of the driveway was flooded too, no way around.  We received AT LEAST 7 inches.  The rain gauge was full, and it was still raining.  PD#1 dumped it out, but it stopped raining shortly thereafter.

I was worried about the baby chicks all night.  They were in their chicken tractor right outside the door, covered with two tarps.  I had no idea the storm was going to be that bad, but the ground was flooded.  They were soaking wet this morning, I felt so bad for them.  We put the chicken tractor in the barn, on a nice bed of warm hay.  They are nice and snug in the barn now, and should do fine. 

I made spaghetti last night using our wild hog sausage and the tomato sauce I canned.  It was pretty good. PH liked it, so it is "good to go" to make it again.  I also made a big batch of laundry soap.  It seems no matter how much I wash, I always have more.  I'd love to get rid of all these clothes, but it doesn't seem possible (sigh). 

Feeling sick with a sore throat and earache.  Drank some Echinacea Tea tonight, and if I don't feel better tomorrow, I'll take some more herbs.

It was pretty chilly inside tonight, so I lit a fire in the woodstove.  Unfortunately, it has died out and my feet are still cold. Finished watching my nightly episode of JERICHO, and so am off to bed.



PH sharpened his chainsaw.  He will be getting ready to go over to his parents to cut firewood.  We have plenty for this year, but his dad had several trees that were cut down.  They are live oak so will be great for our woodstove.

It's not easy being green....beans

Before



After

I am so proud of myself.  I hope that isn't sinful LOL.  This is only the second time I 've used the pressure canner, and I was able to can 12 pints of green beans and 2 quarts.  I wanted to do all pints, but didn't have any available.  I've been trying to save money, so didn't want to rush out and buy any.  I have several cases of quarts, so figured that would be the way I'd go.  I wanted pints, because they are an ideal size for a meal for my family, but I would make do.  Just as I was starting I noticed a box in the back, it was an old box of canning jars I received free from a local lady.  It was a very old box of Golden Harvest canning jars in PINT size.  Praise the Lord!  I was a little worried, because I've only used Kerr and Ball in the past, but after finishing, they all appear to have sealed great and are BEAUTIFUL!

PH is making his list to purchase some lumber this weekend to start the floor of the new house.  I am so excited!  He is also working on a hoop house chicken coop for me, and the 20 little chicks I am expecting.  These will be my egg layers, and I will be placing an order soon for meat chicks.  Probably Freedom Rangers, or Plymouth Rocks, not sure yet.



What have you done today to prepare?

Here is a picture of the well guy pulling the pipe from the well in order to replace the pump. 

I've seen this online before, so I thought I'd list what PH and I have done today to get more "prepared" for when TMHTF (whether it be job loss, economic collapse or worse).

PH left early this morning to go pick up some of his tools from his father's house, buy concrete to continue working on the piers of the house, and to get fencing.  When he arrived home I was hanging laundry, and I heard a loud rooster crowing.  I thought it was PH messing around, but he brought me a beautiful Americauna rooster!  This guy is beautiful, but pricey.  I had stopped at the man's house where he was purchased, but he wanted high way robbery prices for his poultry.  I had talked to PH about a beautiful rooster he had, a red sex-link named Rufus.  PH came home with another one, as Mr. Greenjeans (my name for chicken guy) wanted $50! I was very excited, though shocked that PH would pay $30 for this rooster, but he said he wanted to make me happy.   It is one of the best gifts I've had in a long time.  How funny is that?  I'd much rather have a chicken, goat or Berkey filter for a gift than flowers or a fancy dinner.  I'm so strange, but at least after 23 years PH knows the way to my heart. 

So here is MacArthur (named after our American General), we have a banty rooster named "Napoleon", just cuz he's 'lil (ha! ha!):

General MacArthur

We had to go into town to the post office (dropping off Frontier House from Netflix), so we stopped at the Ace Hardware in the small town closes to us. 

I purchased:

two replacement globes for my oil lamps (need two more)

macaroni and cheese (Kraft) that was on sale

kool aid ( we don't drink it much, but I try to keep it on hand)

new 20" chain saw

PH also unhooked the empty propane tank from grill/burner and put in his truck, he can refill it at work for much cheaper than my paying for a refill.

I have my kerosene bottles ready, and will fill two of them on Monday at the local oil company.  Much cheaper!  (I was paying $21.99 for a gallon at Academy or Ace).  By using the oil company, I am paying $5.40 a gallon.  I can fill up four gallons for the price of one.

Once that is done, I'll fill my oil lamps, trim the wicks, and talk to PH about making oil lamp holders to bolt onto the metal walls of our container cabin.  I have six oil lamps, plus four battery operated (AA) lamps.  The PDs use one of these as a lamp in their loft.  Plus, when I go do laundry at night, I hang one from the ceiling in the wash house.

PH also disced the dead cantelope/watermelon vines under.  We were going to plant, but with the heat.  We decided to wait until the end of September (for now) and plant the cold weather crops.  Hopefully, they will need less water than those that would be planted now. (Heat index 110 today).

Our chicks are starting to hatch today...one has died so far, but another has broken through, and we are waiting for it to emerge all the way from the shell.

Mini Tour of Homestead

See below for the start of our tour...

Selena - Our Quarab Mare

The Wash House

I have my washer and dryer in here (though I rarely use it).  Plus, my new chest freezer, and I do have a retractable mini clothesline which is handy when it rains.  The little door you see is a child size door on the front porch of this little house.  There is a regular size door on the left rear (not pictured).  There is also a loft where the PDs used to play before PH built their bigger playhouse.  Now, I use the loft for storing winter/summer clothes, depending on the season.

PD2 holding one of our baby chicks we hatched from the incubator

1100 gallon water tank

(well is on the other side, the little shed is to help keep the sun directly off the tank,

otherwise boiling water comes out of the shower head)

The bedroom end of the "cabin"