Mad Max's Shelter

I had one picture of Max's shanty on a previous post, but thought I would go a bit more in depth about the frugality of our farm.

We have moved this dog kennel all around the place for different reasons.  Yes, it started out as a dog kennel for Hercules.  He tore up the door and easily climbed out of it.  We used it for a bunny play pen.   We used it when Mad Max was but a wee lad.  We used it to put hens in for a short time.  Once again, it is Max's shelter.  With Brie and Mollie both being bred (I am 95% sure of this), Max had to be separated because of his butting them in the stomach and his chasing them and his stench. 

I am hoping that he will be okay in his new quarters until we get him a wether to be his friend.  I will still let him out and about, just not with the girls, and not unsupervised.  But, this will be after he becomes familiar with this new living arrangement. 

So we set up the kennel behind the garden in a pine grove and hubby and son took some leftover fence we had and wrapped it around trees, only needing 3 or 4 fence posts.  It is not a huge area, but he has plenty of room to romp around if he wants. Hubby removed the inner chain link fence of the kennel, leaving it open. The door of the kennel is open so that he can come and go from the outside when I let him.  The fence is attached to either side of the kennel. We used PVC pipe we had lying around and made the top arch for protection and hopefully to not hold water.  This next week will be the test.  We zip/cable tied the black plastic I had left over to the shelter. Hubby also duct taped some of the lose edges that he thought needed it.  He has some fresh straw to bed in and a pretty purple water bucket that I haul water to every day and a food bowl that I will be moving inside the shelter when the rains begin.  I may have to add a pallet to keep him off the ground depending on how the rain flows.  Well, it ain't pretty, but you can't beat the price!

I know he is not a happy camper.  I know they are herd animals, but he will just have to hold out for a little while.  I don't know, I may let them all graze together if they behave, that is asking a lot, but my guilt may get the best of me.   I will make sure he has his share of attention and treats. 

Christmas Ham Leftovers

As you know, I didn't have the  leftover Thanksgiving turkey torture that most people did this year, since I stayed on the farm while the family traveled to the Midwest.  I had no turkey to cook, eat or save.  (It was fabulous!)

The son receives a ham for Christmas from his work, and that is what we had for Christmas Dinner.  Although, admittedly, this year was not the feast that I normally do; not even a dessert.  We did have plenty of stocking candy for any sweet tooth that arose, however. 

One of the uses for our leftover ham was good old fashioned ham salad.  I really like Paula Deen's recipe and use that to go by.

Used my new meat grinder (yay!) and finished up the rest of the ham to make just over 3 cups.

 I diced up 4 celery stalks.  I could have gone smaller, but I like the crunch.

 Then comes the tears.  I used half of a large onion for about a 1/2 cup.

 I added 1/2 cup of chow chow that my neighbor gave us for Christmas-sooo good!

 Two hard boiled duck eggs chopped.

 Not my homemade mayonnaise...but 3/4 cup of mayo and about 2 teaspoons of mustard.

 

 

Mixed and ready for consumption.  It makes enough for everyone to have ham salad sandwiches until New Year's!  And since the ham, eggs, and chow chow were free it makes it a great frugal start to the new year.

 

 

Share with me your favorite ham salad recipe! (Ham is still on sale, so for the next go round.) 

Just Animal Pictures

To Do Tuesday 12/22

Last week's inside chores: Christmas tree up-small but its ours. Mailed cards.  Sweep drywall dust.  Zone clean.  Seed orders ready.  Closet reorganized.  Restock kitchen.

Last week's outside chores:  Max's shelter. Burn limbs. Buy soil. Sow seeds. Bring wood from holler. Barn yard cleaning. Oil in truck changed.
We moved the older hens to the garden coop with the ducks.

Max's redneck but free shelter

This week's inside chores: Cookies for gifts.  Sweep drywall dust. I have perused the seed catalogs and have put together a seed order for winter/early spring.  Just waiting on payday to send it.  Still need to get the closet organized.

Lettuce growing

This week's outside chores:  Well, its going to rain so I am not sure about burning the limbs or bringing up the wet wood from the holler.  We still need to change the oil in the truck and rake the goat yard where the sticks and bricks have been kicked around.  Figure out how to move the ducks closer to the pond (build makeshift duck house and start fencing area).  

Since this week is Christmas, I am not going to push what has to be done.  We did get 98% of our shopping and wrapping done.  I am sure there is something that I forgot, so I am giving myself a 2% cushion. 

Have a Merry Christmas everyone! 



Tuesday To-Do 12-15

It is that time where I need to evaluate priorities for the week.  At least for this minute; it can change in a blink of the eye.  As usual, I have been slacking in my lists, and just trying to do what I felt needed to be done.  But then things sneak up on you, things that should have been taken care of earlier.

Last week's inside chores: Not listed-did what I had to do.
Last week's outside chores: Not listed-did what I had to do.

This week's inside chores:
Christmas tree up.  I have some decorations here and there, but no tree.  Daughter has her shopping almost done and I am so jealous.  I have a few more things to get done. I would like to have all gifts done and under the tree by next Tuesday.

Mail cards.  I have birthday and Christmas cards to get in the mail.  This means a trip to the post office for stamps.  Just used my last one on the roll.  I hope they get their on time! Eek!
 
Sweep up the drywalling dust in the dining room.  Put the plastic back up to prevent it from going throughout the house.  And, maybe encourage hubby to finish up so that I can start to Kilz2.

Start back up with zone cleaning-find the right notebook or reprint daily schedule.  Why, oh why do I veer? Basically, I just need to catch up. 

Go through seeds and see what to replace, reorder and peruse seed catalogs.  

I need to reorganize the closet a bit.  I opened up the space bags of sweaters and sweatshirts and I need to clear out summery items and get them stored away.

Time to restock the kitchen.  You know how my life seems to revolve around food.  Right now there are many baking ingredients for sale at the grocery stores.  Sugars, flour, spices, and that sort of thing.  I need to make taco seasoning, taco sauce, trail mix, pimento cheese, PB&J to freeze.  Luckily, hubby has had several work parties to help supplement his lunch since I have not kept up very well.

This week's outside chores:  Here we go...
Work on Max's shelter.  Bend some PVC pipe in the old dog kennel and put plastic, tarp, whatever we have to provide wind and rain protection.

I need to burn tree limbs that fell, and throw on some decaying lumber that won't be useful.


Coldframe lettuce

I need to get some soil mix to fill about 8 trays in the greenhouse with some cold crops.  My lettuce is germinating and I need to sow a few more seeds in the coldframe.

We need to continue to bring up some split wood from the holler and finish getting that stacked. 

We need to continue to clean out the barn yard for construction for the goats.  I think that Brie is even further along than Mollie (who I am guestimating to be due at the end of March), so we need to get that going-QUICKLY!

And we need to change the oil in the truck-hubby's job, or son...

That should keep us busy for a while, especially when there always be something to throw a kink in our schedule. 



Cooter's Eye

One of my ducks had "white-eye syndrome."  Okay, that's what I call it.  It gets all foamy and swollen and horrible looking.  Everything I read says its from unclean environment, stale air, etc.  Well, my birds are free range in the garden (72x24) and even run free on the rest of the 17 acres occasionally, of course, never touching the pond...go figure.  I dump and rinse their pool at least once, if not twice, daily.  It apparently could also be from trauma. Well, the boys have been fighting, but they seem to attack the neck from what I have witnessed.  I am hoping that is the case. Otherwise, it would be some horrible bacterial infection that would take out the whole flock of four.

Poor Cooter was isolated in the small duck coop where they stayed early this past spring, and will more than likely be put up at night this winter to keep safe.  It too is super ventilated, so I don't foresee a problem with that.

I tried several different remedies for him.  I changed his water three to four times a day to make sure it stayed clean.  On day one, I bought some Vetericyn spray (although it was not the pink eye formula).  This is just a wound wash safe for eyes, ears and mouth.  (I was hoping it was something stronger at that price!) Since a week of getting it, I have used it on Cooter as well as our cat, Oreo.  I am sure it will be a good addition to the barn medicine cabinet.  It did not really seem to help other than to wash away the foam covering his eye for a short time so that I could see just how swollen and icky it really was.  The next day it was starting to foam in the other eye.
Panic ensued. 
Luckily, there was no sign of it spreading to anyone else, which made me be think this had to be an injury from fighting.
After more research and perusing the web, I added apple cider vinegar (ACV) to his water and continued to wash it.  By the next morning it seemed to have improved a bit, but was really hard to tell.
The next day, again, after more research and pure desperation so as not to either take him to the vet (not enough funds for that) or begin culling, I went the conventional route and bought some water soluble antibiotic.  I used that in his water and he seemed to improve a bit more after that. 
Oh, but he was a mess.  He was not happy being separated from his family.  Pacing, quacking.
By day four, the swelling had gone down, no more foamy production.  There was just a little bit of color change around the skin of the eye. I felt he could see out of it again.
I went ahead and let him out.  He was very happy for a while but then went back to fighting.  I guess being cooped up he had a lot of pent up energy and hormones to release. 
At least this time he won. So far, all is well.  But they still get a bit chippy.  I am going to be investing a few more females to add to the flock to hopefully help this. 

Now that their summer pool is put away so as not to freeze and crack and various buckets have been brought out, I think as a prophylactic measure and overall health benefit, I will add ACV to their buckets weekly.  I have, in the past, done this for the chickens, and will be more diligent with their water too.  This is going to be even more important as the fowl/poultry are being locked in every night. 

Always something to learn on the homestead...

Menu Monday 12-14-15

Time to get back to some normalcy around here.  The best way to get back on track is to make my menu plan.  So...

This week supper will include (starting tomorrow):
Spaghetti, broccoli, cottage cheese, salad and homemade garlic bread

Taco salad with homemade taco sauce, ranch dressing mixed with salsa, and taco seasoning that  also  needs to be made.  Also some homemade tortillas.

Chicken potpie with one of the Zaycon chicken breasts, fruit dessert of some kind (probably fruit cocktail, maybe a jello salad- how retro).

Chili soup with PB&J

Nachos, fully loaded, with salad

Pork roast with potatoes and carrots, buttermilk biscuits and, you guessed it, a salad!

BBQ pork sandwiches, Texas style potato salad, cole slaw, and Arnold Palmers

I will have to get my grocery list together later today.  I am sure I need a trip to Sam's for staples and a few dairy related items, and the rest will more than likely come from Aldi, or Ingles if we are in a pinch. 

I also have a few lunchbox items to make.  Trail mix, pb&j for the freezer, chicken salad, pimento cheese, etc.  It's raining today and probably would have been a good day for some mixing and blending and bagging, but, unfortunately, clean clothes trumped...using the dryer for fire-starting lint balls. Ha!

Until tomorrow, when maybe I can get my To-Do list back up and in working order too.  Oh, dear!

Late Fall Update

I thought this was the South; it turned cold all of a sudden.  Well, I guess it is December. 

Boy, this last month has flown by and the Holidays are here!  The hubby and kids spent Thanksgiving in the Midwest with family.  I was here for two reasons: 1)  I had to take care of the animals, and 2) I was in much need of a break that I used for prayer and fasting.  It was a wonderful time.  Growing up as an only child, alone time is very restorative, not lonely at all.  Besides, I have plenty of animals to talk to :)

We are trying to get ready for the winter.  Wood carried up from the holler.  Straw and pine shreds in the barn stalls and coops. All kinds of little maintenance projects to be done.  I tried to put "noodle" insulation with duct tape over the spigot in the goat yard.  Well, I noticed Brie had duct tape stuck to her chest and the actual Styrofoam stuff was partly scattered over the yard and partly missing.  I am sure that's healthy for them!  Guess we'll have to figure out plan B. 

Since it's been cool and rainy and dreary, I have been in the kitchen more. Makes for better meal planning, doesn't it? 

 

 

There has been some nice slow time though.  For everyone. 

 

 

As we head into the hustle and bustle of the holidays, remember to take time to enjoy the important things, you know, the things that can't be wrapped or bought on Black Friday.