Happenings around the homestead

Cows are wandering around the yard, munching on good grass

Clothes are drying on the fence

Lavender and peppermint are infusing some coconut oil

Pastry berries are sprouting on the counter

Chickens are free ranging

Crackers from This recipie are being enjoyed with some homemade hummus

Books are being read and children are playing

Regan is getting ready to go to bed

New Babies

Today I bought 11 baby egg chicks.  I got them at the feed store, and they were more expensive than if I had ordered them through the hatchery, but totally worth it as they all have their big chick feathers.  So, I saved on chick starter and a heat lamp and the stink of keeping them in the garage.  They are out in the yard in the coop that Kirk built, and I am a little worried that something might get into the coop through some small spaces around the bottom of the coop where it doesn't quite touch the ground.  I did put stuff around the spaces to hopefully keep any predators out.  Could be worse--the guy at the feed store was telling me he lost almost his entire flock of chickens to a black bear!  He said the bear ripped off the doors, and he had chicken parts strewn about.  I just can't even imagine.  He told me there are several black bears that are around, and they are not shy about ripping off doors and destroying anything that might have food that is outside, even in a garage.  They have no trash service, and must take their trash to a dump 10 miles away.  I think I'll stick where the black bears aren't.

The baby chicks that I got are all black, with the exception of one lone barred rock.  The rest are sex-linked and black australorp.

They really didn't like the camera.  Or maybe it was just me?

Can you spot the one that isn't like the others?

Kids are Funny

At Friday school the other day, the lesson was about making goals.  The teacher read a story about a woman who had three goals.  When the teacher asked the kids what a goal was, one of the boys said "a point".  *snort*.

Finally

The cows are just about as big as they are going to get!  Aren't they cute?

Elsie has the horns, Ellie May doesn't

Well, we finally finished putting up the fence in the front yard for the cows.  The bushes were super thick and so the fence didn't quite get closed all the way.  It only took 2 weeks, and we now have escaping cows.  No biggie, the bushes are down enough that we can get the fence all the way to the other fence.  The cows are staked out in different areas of the yard.  They really ate the front area down quickly, much faster than I thought they would.  The grass seems to take forever to grow back.  It didn't take that long when we had to mow it.  Hmmm. 

It only took a week to finish off 5 feet of fence.

Winter Garden

Well, we finally got our winter garden in, again.  I had sprouted broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage and was surprised at how fast and well everything sprouted.  But then something (chickens?) started eating the tops.  It wasn't cutworms.  They sort of recovered, but it was slow going.  I also had seeded radishes, beets, and carrots in the garden beds by the house, thinking that the chickens would leave the beds alone.  Silly me.  They left the beds alone long enough for everything to sprout, and then had a fabulous time digging in them.  So, this week the kids and I replanted in two different spots.  I fenced in an area by the chicken coop where I had some summer produce growing, and carrots, beets, kale, peas, lettuce and beets were planted.  We chittered (pre-sprouted) the peas, and I soaked the carrot seeds as well.  So far, so good with regards to the chickens.  They only scratched up the area with the beet seeds.  Then we planted the area in the back.  I felt comfortable planting there as the cows are in the front, and I think we can get the garden area fenced in well enough to keep the cows out, when it is time for the cows to go in the back.  We planted broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and celery that I bought at Green Acres.  Also, I tried to transplant the pretty sad looking broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower I had grown from seed.  It is rather late for the direct seeding, but seeds are cheap, and I will learn something for it.  Hoping to have an Indian Summer, so the seeds do well.  Now, I just need to plant garlic and green onions.

I am working on extending the garden area by the chicken coop for next spring.  I have had two loads of ground-up trees dropped off, and so I am following the "Back to Eden" method.  If you are interested in gardening, I highly encourage you to look at this.  Next spring, I will be able to speak as to whether it is a viable method for me.  I also have several cut up logs from the ground-up trees, and so I am going to try another huglekulture bed.  I have one that I dug down, and what I have growing there seemed to do very well, and needed slightly less water than some of the other areas. This time, though, I am going to build the bed up by the back of the garage.  The area is considerably lower than the rest of the garden area, so it will make the area more level. 

My goal, come spring, is to be able to produce at least 50% of our food, hopefully more towards 70%.  We will see.  I don't know if I can plant enough of everything or not.  Actually, the food prouction might be more toward the summer time.  I will need to get grains, oils, and some other miscillanious things, but should be have eggs, cheese, milk, yoghurt, and any veggies and fruit that I can grow.  I think the trick will be to grow enough to have some preserved over the winter.  Hence the fall garden.  I *think* the weather here will allow the garden to still produce (some) during the winter.  Regardless of how things do, it won't be a waste, as it is all a learning experience.

Happy Labor Day!

It's labor day, and we are taking that seriously and laboring.

Birthday Boy, Again

     Well, we have wrapped up the last of the August birthdays.  It seems like I spend the month of August gearing up for the birthdays that are to come, surviving said birthdays, and then recovering from all of the fun.




     Gabriel turned 7 this year, and was super excited.  After having to spend his birthday last year on a party for his older brother Luc, he was glad that this time around it was "his" day.  He got to pick his breakfast (pancakes and bacon) and his dinner (Panda Express).  His brothers worked hard to make it a special day.  Nick spent his own money and bought him a 10 gallon tank and some fish--Gabriel finally has his own pets!  Not to be outdone, Sam, Joel, and Luc went out that night and got a few things as well. 


Sam got Gabriel candy

Hmmm.  What should I wish for?

I Got It!



He lost his first tooth just in time for his 7th birthday

Don't feed the Animals Part 2

Anyone who knows our family won't be surprised that Nick had A Plan to kill the predators killing our chickens.  He wanted to sleep outside with his gun and knife (And Anastasia, of course).  So, Friday night he and Joel set up outside to catch the critter(s).  Around midnight they came in, spitting mad, because we had forgotten to turn off the sprinklers.  Typical.

Luc

My oldest son turned 17.  17!  My sweet husband told me I don't look old enough to have a 17 year old.  I reminded him that we have a 19 year old as well ;-). 

I told him that he couldn't have a birthday party. So he had a "get together" instead. He thought maybe 15 or so people would come. 

Does this look like 15 people?  I will tell you there are more people in other rooms.  It was more like 30.  I think they had a really good time.  We had pizza and hot dogs that they could roast over the fire pit, and 72 sodas.  The sodas all went.  (Joel had 5 of them himself.  He didn't go to sleep until 3:30-4)  Also, watermelon and grapes and a giant cookie and chips.  Bags and bags of chips.  All of the junk food went, the fruit?  Not so much. 

Luc came to me and apologized profusely, saying he had No Idea so many people would come.  It was all good, and I am glad that he has friends that would come and love on him.



Such respect for his elders.

 

Birthday Boy

Samuel turned 9 this year.  He is such a handsome boy!

Don't Feed the Animals!

We are having a problem.  A predator kind of problem.  I'm not sure what kind of predator, but I have lost several (15) meat chickens, and both of the turkeys.  I lost a few laying hens as well, but those were eaten by the next door neighbors dog, when they wandered through the fence into his territory.  The yard is fenced in, with smaller gauge wire, and is 4 plus feet high in the back, and 5 feet in the front.  Can coyoties climb fences?  We are thinking maybe a racoon?  The thing is, some of them were taken over the fence and eaten, and some of them were left dead in the yard.  *Sigh*.  Trying to figure out how to solve this problem.

Photo Shoot

My sister came to visit and asked me to do her daughter's senior portraits.  So exciting!  I enjoyed myself very much, and they came out rather nicely, if I do say so myself (and I do.  Say so that is).

The picture with her sticking her tongue out is my favorite, and  so reminiscent of my father--he would have gotten such a kick out of seeing her do that.  He was in the process of teaching my youngest daughter to do that, and my oldest daughter would often stick out her tongue at him.  He just thought that was soooo funny. 

Anyway, congratulations to you, Priscilla, on graduating from high school!  I was honored to be entrusted with your senior portraits.  You have developed into a very beautiful young woman, and I so enjoyed having you up here.

Our New Cow

We got another cow--her name is Ellie May.  She is a little wild, but we finally have her hooked up to a rope so we can grab her when we need to, and we are working on having her get used to us.  I tried to touch her belly today, in preperation for milking, but she would have nothing to do with it and kicked at me.  So, we are still working at it.  Elsie is very happy to have a friend.  She has also established herself as the boss cow.  Could be the horns give her an advantadge.  I know I try to steer clear of them.
Ellie May is in the back.  This is when we first got her and she was especially nervous. 

Fortunately

Fortunately, I was wide awake this morning and able to go out and take care of the animals.

Unfortunately, the cow went though the fence and was eating the grapes and leaves. Last night she was on the garden eating the brusselsprouts. The chickens also were in eating the grapes.

Fortunately, I won't need to prune the grapes this year.  And fortunately for my kids, we won't be having brusselsprouts anytime soon. Fortunately, we have an abundance of grapes to harvest.

Unfortunately, we don't have that many grapes anymore. Goodbye to the visions of all those raisens that were dancing in my head.

Fortunately, I think we still have enough for fresh eating. also, I know what kind of fencing doesn't work for keeping the cow out.

Unfortunately, Regan is cranky and needy today. I think it is from her swollen gums where it appears her eye teeth are coming in.

Fortunately, she is super cute, and not normally so cranky. Although it might be th she is considering it seems she has been teething for forever. She didn't have teeth for the longest time, then she only had a few teeth for awhile.  It seems, however, that she has been getting teeth in for the last 4-5 months.

Fortunately we have water that flows to our house on a consistent basis.  Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with that water flowing a little too freely from a pipe that leads out  of our house.

Fortunately, we have a plumber coming out to the house, and I know how to turn the water off to the house.

Unfortunately, he can't come until this evening, because they are sealing the road in front of our house.  Again. Tired of the unnecessary road work that goes on for our private, privately funded road.

Fortunately, he is coming tonight, cause the first time I called, they. Put me off til tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I am having problems with my hip today.  It is hard to walk, and carrying Regan, which she really wants, exacerbates it.  Fortunately, it doesn't happen nearly as often as it used too, and I have many older children that can run errands, get things, and help to hold/carry Regan.

Fortunately, tomorrow is a new day.

The ecstasy and the agony

This week we got our cow, Elsie.  She is a Dexter, about 15 months, and is expecting in March.  Then we will have fresh milk!  We are all so excited, it has been hard keeping kids out of the pasture.  We are looking to get another cow, and the one I picked was thought to be due in October, which would have meant that we would have milk all year long as we could stagger the breedings.  Now, the owner is not sure she is even pregnant, and I am trying to make a decision as to whether to get her, or another possibly bred heifer.  I know that I do not want another one with horns and the two that I would consider do not have horns.  Although Elsie is a sweetie, she is still a cow, and the horns make me nervous.  I'm not sure about having them removed at this stage, but any babies will be having their horns removed. 

The agony?  We lost 2 of our meat chicks in one day to predation.  Not quite sure what got them, it may have been one of the egg chickens, but I don't think so.  We forgot to put them under some shelter and they are white and show up really well at night.  So, could have been an owl that misjudged how heavy they are?  Possibly a skunk?  One of them was dead when we found it, but the other one was only mortally injured.  We tried to give it a fighting chance, but then when it just seemed so miserable, Nick put it out of its misery.  The realities of homesteading *sigh*.