Goat Bloat

Unable to be at home in the day and watch Brie and Molly as closely as I would like did give me an advantage to see that they, especially Brie, was developing goat bloat.  It scared me.  I wracked my brain trying to figure out what was going on.  We all knew that no chicken food was to be available because of the calcium content and that fact that goats love it, so the chickens were let out to free range and their food was out in the yard with them.  Maybe I was just giving them too much grain too soon.  They are being weaned off the bottle.  I sat out a bowl of baking soda overnight to see if that would help them.  They were active, playful and hungry so I didn't feel it was an urgent matter.  But, what was causing it?  I had to figure this out. 

It just happened the following afternoon that I walked out to find Brie eating the rabbit food that Rocky would dump from his bowl as he jumped around in his cage.

We fenced the rabbit shelter off and the issue seems to be resolved.  Whew!

Puddin'

I have an affliction.  When I walk through the produce section and see those bags stuffed with ripe/overripe bananas for $.99, I HAVE to get one!  I will even go so far as $1.49.  Oh, the joy that floods my heart. 

Let's move ahead 30 minutes.  I sit at the kitchen table, staring at the bag of bananas.  I probably already have a gallon bag of peeled bananas in freezer.  Since my oven is still on the blink and I can't bake muffins, what am I to do to cover my tracks of being the Banana-Bag Bandit??  Banana pudding would be pretty good.  But I don't have any pudding. 

Why not make it from scratch? I am sure Caroline Ingall's did not go to the Olsen's for pudding mix, so I need not either.  So I stand in front of the bookshelf in the kitchen that holds my 100s of cookbooks.  Hmmm?  Then I grab my daughter's iPad and hit the web...the shame of it.  Nonetheless that is what I did. 

I assembled the ingredients and made some vanilla pudding, added a couple of bananas and voila! 

 

 

Now, what to do with the other 15 bananas??



Molly

My 19-year-old son decided to buy Brie's sister and keep the family together.  I have to admit Brie has been much happier having her sister around.  I do wonder if my son is going to be around next year about the time we have to milk the girls...hmmm?

Brie

Well, much to my family's chagrin and maybe even a little trepidation on my part, we have a new addition to the farm family. Meet Brie (yes, as the in the cheese).

She lived only a few minutes from us and when I saw her picture on craigslist, I had to get her.  I would love to have her sister too, but anyone who knows anything about goats knows that prices can be up there, and it will take a while to get a herd together.  I do want at least two fairly soon though to keep them happy and healthy.

She is very young, 6-weeks old and we are bottle feeding her twice a day...well, Sarah is, since I am at work in the day.  Right now, she lives in the empty coop across from the chickens.  It will keep her safe at night and when we are not at home. 

We let her in the fenced area to get some fresh air, even though there is no grass yet.  We have the goat fence laid out and will be finishing it sooner than expected.  Yay!  We do have the dog kennel did not contain the dog, but is perfect for Brie to get out in some grass.  The beginning of our goat herd has begun!

She is to quick for me to get a good picture, err!

Overgrown...or Organic

Yes, I am trying to put a good spin on the fact that my garden is out of control.  With the rain except for when I am at work, no lawn mower, no weed eater, and a bum elbow, this is the result. 

At least we are getting tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, peppers and green beans.

Cucumbers on the fence

The peppers

Asparagus to go to seed

Where the garlic was

Strawberries gone wild

Remember the game Where's Waldo...where's the green bean

Now, don't you feel better about your garden and yard!!

My First Garlic Harvest

Garlic.  To roast, to stir-fry, to ward off vampires or spouses. 

 

I love the smell...on my hands for days.  I love the feel of the papery skin.  I really love smashing it with my knife and going all ninja on it.  No wonder they say it is good for stress.  Kiai (or hi-ya)!

Seriously, the health benefits of garlic are pretty amazing.  Most people have heard that it is good for your heart by helping to reduce blood pressure, blood thinning properties, as well as reduce cholesterol.  We use it for the antiviral and antibacterial effects.  It is suggested that it helps diabetes and insulin control, as well as cancer prevention, and just general detoxification.  Why aren't I eating garlic everyday?  Oh yes, the bad breath, tummy troubles, including gas or nausea, and as mentioned the juice can seep into your skin and can be irritating or just odoriferous.  I think it is worth it anyway.  After years of hearing about the benefits and learning to love garlic, I decided to add it to my garden.

I recently noticed with all the rain and/or lack of care other than some straw mulch on top, they were either drowning or were ready to harvest as they were turning yellows and browns and there were some already flowering.  Why not, I decided to go ahead and dig them up.  Worse comes to worst I will plant more next year with a little more TLC. 

Donning my boots, folding up my yoga pants above my knees and grabbing my shovel, I headed to the garlic bed somewhere between the 6-foot asparagus plants that are in full fern and the strawberries that are "running" rampant.  (I am so embarrassed and ashamed at the state of my garden that I HAVE to post pictures so everyone can feel better about themselves in the very near future.)

 It is a small harvest, but it is mine and I love it...

Getting ready to dry

 

 

Will We Ever Reach Our Goals?

I have wasted paper, time, markers, and even napkins writing down goals and plans and aspirations.  Most of them were duplicates, but sometimes the order was different, depending on my mood, money and how detail-oriented I wanted to be.   There are books, seminars, classes and psychics to help us figure out "our path."  Well, what if I don't want to buy books, go to seminars, take classes or be scrutinized by psychics?  As a God-fearing woman, prayer has worked to show me the goal, but still I have been left to follow my own path to get there.  As Joyce Meyer puts it 'You must do what you can do, and then trust God to do what you can't.'

I am not going to lie, no matter how cliché it sounds.  The weeks before turning 40, a small portion of my mind was slowly tweaking.  It was reminding me over and over, life is short and anything you really want to do-DO, not plan.  Yes, there are things that need to be planned and steps to be taken, but as I 'mature', I find that it is more about do.  Some people learn this early in life-even my son seems to have a grasp on that concept.  I am getting there...slowly.

I think it is safe to say that anyone who has read anything I have written knows making my homestead not only sustainable, but beautiful is my ultimate goal.  You know that I have a full-time job and are in the beginning stages of weaning off my paycheck and living off of my husband's.  I know in my head that this homestead will not prosper while I work, and this does break my heart.  I cannot work full-time and run a greenhouse and raise goats and all of the many things I want to do. 


photo by Sauli Hirvi

I am a "jump in with both feet" kind of girl, but then I jump right back out if the water is too cold.  So, with this new found maturity *cough, cough*, I am wading in slowly, yes, feeling that stinging cold working its way from my toes to my ankles to my shins.  But you know what?  As the shins are feeling it, the toes are more comfortable and getting used to the coldness.  Hmmm?  So maybe it is best that ease into this "sustainable" part of my homestead dream. 
There are many women who work AND make soap or knit/sew or garden (still not sure about the commercial-size greenhouse) or raise chickens.  Just because I can't do it to the extent I want right now...

My goal list is now more about do, such as learning to perfect soaps, jelly and homemade laundry detergent, integrated with to have, such as an auger and wood chipper and good kitchen knives.  I can do these simultaneously.  I can buy an auger the same week I make homemade jelly, can't I?

That being said, I am going to make sacrifices over the next few weeks to months to get the transition in full swing.   I am starting to think there is a fine art to making a budget work with one income while allocating the other to cover savings, homestead improvements and investments, as well as covering those short months, all the while not slipping back into "work mode" where I can stop at the downstairs Starbucks when I feel that 2:30 lull or not brown bag it because I can swipe my badge and have it taken out automatically and of course pick up "fast food" whether at a restaurant or the deli or freezer section at the supermarket on the way home because I am too tired to cook.  I had better learn that sacrifice will be needed even when I am home full time.  I may be too tired or sick to milk the goats one morning, but guess what?  It has to be done.  Therefore, let's get used to it NOW!

(You can check out the Christmas Penny for some low points of the weeks budget!)

New Layout

With my vast interests and little knowledge or skill, I have decided to divide and conquer.  That is to divide my posts into categories, although I am sure they will intermingle most times.  With some upcoming life changes, there may be more tabs to come.  Thanks for stopping by and visiting a spell!  I really want to say 'Y'all come back now, ya hear', but I won't...

Vacation Day 5, 6, 7 and 8

Day 5
We decided to hit the town today.  We did an early celebration of our 20th anniversary by eating out at a steak house and going to the movies.  A few years ago we had thought about doing something fantabulous for our 20th-a tour of Europe or a week in the Bahamas, something a bit more flamboyant, but as I am transitioning, ever so slowly into this "simple" way of living, I am wanting what used to be common and mundane to be special.  As a child, how awesome was a trip to McDonald's?  I could count on my phalanges how many times our family went.  Of course, a TV dinner was awesome because mom cooked every meal from scratch, including garden fresh veggies or at least canned in the winter (except for the winter a "friend" and I busted over 100 jars of green beans and tomatoes on a brick wall-I was only 5 but I shall never forget the consequence), meat from our chicken and rabbits-so boring...oh, how I wish I had paid more attention!  Closer to the present time, yes, eating out was something the kids, hubby and I did often, going to the movies was not as often because Bruce is not a movie watcher, but it was not a great occasion either. We are paring down our entertainment from Hollywood and moving toward Home Depot.  I am much further along than hubby is, however.  It is still work versus accomplishment to him.  But he will get there, he will get there.  He is turning to the dark side :)  

Day 6
Rain...lots of rain...lots of laundry in the dryer...*sigh*


Day 7
Happy Independence Day.
Rain...lots of rain...laundry is done...*sigh*
Fireworks on television (not quite the same)

Day 8
Yes, rain, lots of rain...But one exciting thing was we clipped the wings of the little red hen, whom I now to believe to be an Easter egger.  She had been living solo in the front part of the storage buildings/garage (we assume) and would eventually end up in the chicken fence with the others near feeding time, but would fly out and rarely be seen.  Well, we caught her yesterday and I clipped her wings.  She is not happy about this.  She spends much of her time in the coop.  We still have one more to clip-the speckled Sussex.  But then again, will this really do any good when I let them out daily to free-range??  Oh well.

Vacation Day 3 and 4

Day 3
This one is easy...NOTHING.  It was the Sabbath and I kept it holy.  Okay, that may be pushing it, as I did not even get out of my PJ pants. 

Day 4
This is my official first day of vacation I guess, it is a Monday.  I can already feel that I am going to lose track of time. 

We didn't do a lot of work on the farm per se.  I cleaned out the chicken coop and lay down new straw.  I gathered three eggs today and there was another softshell on the coop floor.  I know the hens we got from Meyer Hatchery were not healthy; one-third were dead upon arrival, one-third died by the first night, and the 8 hens that did survive are as healthy as I can make them naturally, but we do only get 3, sometimes 4 eggs a day.  That is what I get from straying from McMurray Hatchery...never again.  I keep the freshly gathered eggs in an egg container that came with the refrigerator that I have labeled unwashed.  Once a week or when it becomes piled so high that there is danger in breaking eggs, I wash them and put them in cartons.  The eggs are usually very clean anyway, so I see no point in washing off their protective layer until we have to.  

Sarah and I gathered some plums and blackberries before it got too hot.  I am debating on smoothies for supper or attempting some jelly.  Quite frankly I hate to use jelly jars since that is usually what we sell our honey in.  I am, however, going to attempt to make some jalapeno jelly.  This is probably an odd jelly to be my "first time."  I don't know that for a fact, but strawberry or blackberry would definitely be more Bolin-esque.  I told the family recently, as we make this change into more self-sufficiency and homesteading, our food choices are going to have to change, and for the better.  As we were cleaning the driveway Saturday morning, we enjoyed a few blackberries from the wild bushes at the top of the driveway and even some mulberries from one of the tree branches that had to be trimmed away.  There is just something satisfying from picking it and eating it right there, isn't there.

Well, there it is, jalapeno jelly...or more like a sauce. (Used our plums instead of cranberries, which are not around this time of year.) The good thing is that when I spooned it onto a snack cracker with cream cheese and put it on a plate, Bruce did ask for seconds-a plate of seconds.  He is not one that eats sweet and sour and sauces or fruit with meat so to have him like the jelly was a wonderful surprise.   Next time, there will be more jalapenos added though for a bit more heat and, eh-hem, maybe a little added pectin or longer cooking time.  Nonetheless, I don't think it will be wasted, which is really all that matters, right?