January Blues

Another month in the books. Just a couple short weeks away from the official seed starting date. LOL, I already blew it, I started potatoes in a tote in the kitchen. Eh, couldn't help it really, several of the small potatoes I harvested from last years crop had pushed sprouts in the bottom of the bucket I had them stored in. So, a shovel, a couple of buckets and the tote got filled with compost from the pile. Taters got covered up and now I have beautiful green in the kitchen. A pleasant reprieve from the dull grey and brown outside those windows. The peat pellets are calling to me and it's hard to resist the urge to get 100 seeds started, LOL. Scifi would be laughing at me right now, teasing me for my lack of self control.

The Lionhead kits are growing. I'm glad I brought them in the house. A little more work for me but worth it. Keeping the 2 in the house has given me new ideas for rabbit hutches and how to keep rabbits better than I have been. 18 years of keeping them the same way has worked to a point. Keeping them inside where I see them constantly, see how they behave and such, has given me new insight on how to better care for them. I hope to be able to start building for those ideas before too much longer.

Now that spring is on me, I'm ever so antsy about no internet connection at the house. It's hard to share things on the fly and write what I'm thinking or doing at any given moment when I don't have that net connection to share it with. “Sigh” Sometimes the simple, self sustainable lifestyle is hard to take. All those things I have to give up just to get by. I so need a better paying job. While I'm glad I have a job, the amount of time I spend working that job compared to the amount on my paycheck is constant source of displeasure for me. Sometimes, subsistence living just plain sucks. Part of it I guess, I just do what I have to do and get on with it.

Update on Lil Sister..... Sis was pretty sick. Pregnancy Toxemia was the final diagnosis. A beautiful little brown and white kid ended up being lost out of it, a vet bill I couldn't afford and Sis is kind of getting a little better. The worst part of it is, no milk. That part of it hurts the worst. No milk. My best milker and no milk. Yep, I'm upset about it, the whole thing, all the way around it.

I've got a camo throw blanket finished. Well, almost finished, LOL The ends need tucked still but for all intents and purposes, it's finished. So, the camo is the next raffle throw for the blog. It's a 3x5 couch throw and it will go the same as always. $10 an entry, 3 entries for $20. The raffle will go until the 7^th so it can ship to the winner in time for Valentines Day. I've got 3 more in the works, in various stages of completion.

The chickens have quit laying. I think they have anyway. I can't find any eggs. Not sure what's up with that since I should have 15 a day. Not one single egg to be found out there. It's not that cold here so I'm at a loss as to why. It could be a moult but the birds all look good and I'm not seeing any feathers laying about. I've stopped letting the egg sucking dog out before I do chores so I know he's not getting them on me. Could it be a coon or a possum? I don't know at this point. The investigation continues......

Macaw Couch Throw Winner IS....

Courtesy of Kevin at my work, so blame or thank him however this turns out!

The winner is.........  Pamela M!  Congrats Pamela!  I'll have it boxed up and ready to post tomorrow early afternoon.


Now for some farm news.  This morning, Lil Sister knocked on the door like always.  Came in to be fed since she's currently not milking and before she went out, she laid down on the front room floor and refused to budge.  I think Sis is in pre-labor.  Eh, it worries me a little bit because she has not filled a bag.  All other normal indications are there, just no milk.  I had to go to work so I left her in the care of a "goat sitter".......

Another week in the books

BRRRRR, it's cold, still. Winter comes no matter what and I just deal with it when it gets here. So far this go-round, I'd been kind of spoiled since it's been cold but not the skin biting, freeze the stock tanks solid twice a day kind of cold like it is right now. The last 6 days have been miserable with a few more still to come before the warm up to mid 30sF. Of course, I'm on pins and needles, waiting for the house water lines to freeze and burst, again. So far, so good tho since the most vulnerable ones never got replaced for lack of insulation. Just wasn't in the budget last year. Water lines are cheap enough but those rolls of insulation, just never managed to get those covered. Eh, it's all good, I'm still alive. Just one of those adapt and overcome things.

Just one day left on the Macaw blanket raffle!  Just 3 people in the raffle so the odds are still excellent!

Speaking of still alive, baby lionhead bunnies were born on the 8^th. Another one that's so far so good. First time Momma and they're still alive. So far anyway.  I can hardly wait to play with them!

Oh, LOL, have a giggle with me...... last Thursday early afternoon, had to run over to a company store in another town that I occasionally work at. I needed to drop a couple things off there. After my visit, I stopped at the local McDonald's for a coffee and an internet connection. While I was sitting there, an older man just sat down at my table and introduced himself. Nice enough fellow until he insisted on “hitting” on me. Yep, I got propositioned! Well, I got instantly creeped out but as is my nature, stayed polite thru it and he hands me this business card with his name and number on it. Under his name it says “hen house proprietor”. WTH does that mean? Way too creepy for me! Yah, I'm gonna call ya, hold your breath! ROFL Not.. The world is full of strangely bizarre people.

Another batch of the pumpkin scrub soap is in the soap mold. I'm really liking it. It's got a pleasant smell to it without any added oils and it leaves my skin feeling soft and clean. A good addition to the line up I think. Next I will make a coffee soap. Supposed to be great for removing odors such as onion, garlic and gasoline. I'm going to make some and find out.

No baby goats yet. Probably not a bad thing since the weather is so nasty right now. Besides, I've got other things to worry about at the moment. Yep, the certified letter just came with the overdue tax bill in it. I knew it was coming, I couldn't pay it when it was due and I can't pay it now. Just not enough paycheck.

ARG, I'm currently suffering from another tooth problem. This time it's the other side, last molar on the top. It just fell apart. Now, it almost feels like another tooth is trying to push up into that spot. It's swelled and painful. Obviously some infection is in there too as the lymph node under my jaw is sore. Yah rah. Well, at least I got to sleep a couple nights.

I've got 3 new couch throws going all at once. A camo, a bublegum and a monet. 3 colors of yarn I had sitting here with nothing to do, LOL Left overs from the Christmas order I stitched up. I am really liking the bubblegum one, it reminds me of the colors in the old penny gumball machines. Should have at least one of them done early next week. Oh, I found more of that grape fizz colored yarn! I can't afford to buy it yet but I'm going to get some as soon as I can. I really favor that color scheme and was deeply disappointed on not finding any of it after the first blanket.

I've been working it thru my head, trying to figure out how to get the lean-to built. The design and construction isn't my problem. The supplies are. Same old tune, plenty of time, not enough green stuff. Some things you just can't scrap and salvage. I can't get going with the expansion of the rabbits or quail until I get that done and it depresses me. I have a cool design for quail runs that will make it easy to tend them and grow them. If I change the dimensions a little, it will most likely work for my smaller rabbits as well. Now all I have to do is protect them from the weather.

ARG, LOL, the 2 house hens are really a hen and a roo. Hahahaha, guess I wasn't paying attention very well. As I was feeding this morning, the roo hopped up in my hand. As I petted him, I realized he wasn't a lady chicken! Hahahahahaha duh, glad I'm so observant! Eh, he's still pet quality with his temperament and gentle behavior. I've also concluded that it wasn't the barred rock roo that fertilized his egg. His Daddy was that crazy cross bred roo that half looks like a rhode island red. Beautiful barred rock feathering all over his body and green tail feathers coming in, LOL Poor chicken.

Eh, must be the cold and dreary that's making me find amusement is such silly things. The rut of winter can easily get a body down if other distractions aren't found. I guess it's just my way of entertaining myself until it's time to dig, till and plant!

Blanket Raffle- January

There's 7 days left in the raffle and only 2 people in it.  The odds are still great to win this Macaw 3'x5' couch throw!  As always, one entry is $10, 3 for $20.  Enter via the paypal button.  Good luck!

Wowza!

It's been a while but my head is back to where it should be and I'm back on track with actually thinking about my lifestyle everyday instead of all the insignificant worries that seemed like they overtook my thoughts.

Today was laundry soap day. I prefer the powder to the liquid since it makes less of a mess and lately, I always seem like I never have enough time to do anything leisurely, LOL So, I grated up some of the heavy duty home made soap, added in some washing powder and some borax. I do a 4:1 ratio type recipe, a cup of grated soap to 2 cups of borax, 2 cups of washing powder. It does the job. My intention this morning was to go ahead and whip out another batch of goats milk soap but time got the better of me and it didn't happen. Not enough left before I head out to the off farm job. “sigh”

It's sleeting at the moment, the roads should be in dandy shape for the drive to work!

Oh, deja vu.... I pulled a tooth out last night! This one has been giving me trouble since Labor Day with plenty of sleepless nights due to horrible, inescapable pain. There is no pain on earth like tooth pain. What depresses me is the tooth wasn't rotten or defective in any way. No holes. Just something that has happened since the spinal fusion. They just start getting loose, then if I'm really “lucky”, they get a nice gum infection around them, cause me horrible pain and then, after the swelling goes down, I can pull them out. A little blood, a little discomfort while the socket heals and it's all over with. Guess I'm just going to end up toothless one day. That's alright I guess, adapt and overcome. I'll just gum everything to death, LOL

Whooopie! More garden porn in the mailbox! The Henry Fields catalog just came in. Now, I have the Gurneys and the Henry Fields to drool over and dream of spring. LOL Just what I need, eh? I couldn't wait for spring, I ruined the betting pool and planted potatoes in a plastic bin in the kitchen. I shock sprouted them in a paper sack and then the windows, they pushed ears and into the compost they went! I watered them this morning and I've got sprouts already pushing up. I should have me some new taters to munch on by middle of next month! Carrots, lettuce and radish are next, LOL

Still waiting to see if the lionhead bunny pulls fur. It will be her first litter of kits so I'm not too excited because she may let them all die but she could raise them all too so... If I did actually get her bred (she looks chunky) maybe I can get lucky and everything will go smooth and I'll have cute little furry bunnies to play with.

With sub zero temps coming in on us, I'm glad I didn't breed any of the outside rabbits. Delta hasn't filled a bag yet so I don't need to worry about goatlings in the middle of a horrible storm like she did to me last year. I'm actually kind of disappointed tho since she's usually right on the money with kids in the first week of January. I know there's kids in there, she's big as a house and pushing her summer kids off. Delta is always the first one to kid on the farm. I'm excited and getting a little impatient, LOL I love me some baby goats!

I started a camo couch throw last night. I also started a bubble gum couch throw. I may do them both at the same time, work a skein onto one and then the other. Haven't decided for sure tho. The crocheting is something I really enjoy for a project thru the winter months. It allows my mind to be occupied with dreams and big plans while my hands are doing something constructive.

Time to head back to the farm from the in-town net connection..... until next time, take care and stay warm!

Happy New Year!

Yep, it's that time again.  The end of the year and the start of another.  I spent it working the off farm job and then soap making until 2am, LOL.  No sense in wasting time, eh?  Since I'm not a drinker, I didn't bother even thinking about going out and being silly, all my friends stay home too and didn't plan any type of celebration so quiet time was the order of the night.

I have soap curing on every flat surface available in the house, LOL

Monday, I finished a Macaw couch throw.  This one is 38"x61"  (3'x5') and it turned out pretty nice.  I like the colors.

This one I will raffle off here on the blog as well.  Same as always, $10 an entry or $20 for 3 chances.
We'll keep this one open until the 15th.  This blanket is longer than what I normally crochet, I think I like this size better as it works great for laying on the couch instead of just a lap throw for the lazyboy   ;-)

The next one I'll do will be another camo pattern.  

So, it's 2015 now and I'm already thinking about seed starting!  Oh yah, I know, it's still several weeks away but I can't help but dream of it anyway.  The darn garden porn is already showing up in the mailbox!  Gonna be hard to wait on the seed starting this time around, the weather has been mild and I am itching for spring!

Hmmmm, we'll just have to see how long I make it before planting something, hehehehehehe........