So, here it is, middle of February and
I can hear my old pal Scifichick snorking because I didn't make it to
seed starting day without cheating and starting seed early. Yes, I
have a whole slew of tomatoes already up and past the peat pellet
stage. I decided to use those cheap dollar general 18oz red solo
cups this year. Cheap and throw away, they've got more root room
than the seedling peat pots that sell at rural king. When I say
cheap, I mean cheap. A ¼ of the price of those tiny peat pots with
twice as much root room. I used my own compost in the cups to give
the seedlings an extra boost for growth. The past 3 years, I've got
a friend I used to coal mine with who now owns and operates a
greenhouse in a nearby town. He loads my truck bed up (at random)
with root bound tomatoes that have grown to the point of unsellable.
Lane hates to waste as much as I do so he brings them to me because
he knows I'll plant them. I usually pick out the heirlooms and give
the others away, LOL. Pass it on, the kindness thing. No one I have
ever offered them to has passed on them so it makes me feel good to
share. I've got a ton of tobacco seedlings started. I haven't split
the peat pellets tho, the temporary cold snap/snow event has slowed
them just a little. Darn overcast days. As it continues to warm
up around here, I'll be getting everything else started. I can
hardly wait to get the beans and corn in the ground. Still a long
way off but I can still chomp the bit in anticipation, LOL
Slowly, little by little, I'm getting
this place in line. Still have a ½ mile worth of fence line to
clean up/clear and run new fence, the back field needs mowed and a
load or 2 of lime spread out there, the new hay feeder I have in my
head needs built and some minor prep work connected to farmers market
selling. Plenty to keep me busy on top of a full work schedule off
farm. It's a struggle day by day thing. Don't make enough money
from the farm to cover the farm bills so I work off farm but that
takes up all my time so I find myself struggling to advance the farm.
LOL A continual black hole of struggle. The kind of thing that
always seems to be right up my alley. Eh, it seems like all I do is
think about the farm, even when I'm at work. I spend all my time
there thinking about what I can get done the next morning before I
have to go to work, LOL. Time for bed or I'll oversleep the
alarm........
Eh, this morning is a dandy. A bit of
freezing rain in the wee hours. Now it's overcast, the salt truck
just rumbled past and wow, is my back stiff! Rub a little DMSO on it
and wait 30 minutes. Same thing just about every morning this
winter. I remember the days I was 10 foot tall and bullet proof. I
also remember the days when I was 6 foot tall and it was a flesh
wound. Now, it's 5'9 and a trip to the ER, LOL Time and tide wait
for no man. I slept thru the alarm again this morning, it seems to
be a trend for me the last month or so. Happens much more often when
it's cold and overcast. Ha, that's this whole winter! Hahahahaha
We had a nice little warm up a week or
so ago. 4 days of high 50s, low 60s and I commenced to cleaning up
the barn. The goats make one heck of a mess with the hay they need
to eat. Part of it is the babies running, jumping and playing in it.
The rest is just normal goat behavior. Either way, the waste is is
about equal to what they actually consume. So, this cold snap has
made another big mess in the barn. I don't clean it up during the
cold spells, the goats lay in it. Plenty of wheel barrow loads to
haul out tho once this weather breaks. I have a hay feeder idea
floating around in my head. I made one a few years back when I had
just a couple goats. It worked pretty good but then the herd
multiplied and soon it was obsolete. Now, since I've slowly been
building the herd back up (more hours=more pay=more feed) I see the
need to build another feeder. I could have easily made it thru the
winter with 200 bales for both the goats and the one lone horse if I
had a feeder in there. I've decided to not make round bales for this
year. Seems to me a waste of time. I've 25 sitting here and I'll
probably end up burning them all. Yes, the goats and horse have
eaten on them but they've spent most of this winter in the barn. The
horse is old (over 20) and it seemed wrong to let her stay out in the
ice and snow, standing knee deep in muck for another winter. She's
fired up and sassy from being cooped up but it's better than having
her get down from the weather. Kind of like having her around and I
know her days are numbered now.
I'm gazing out the window at the
freezing rain slowly falling, day dreaming about the coming growing
season. I'm ready to get the garden turned over and ready for the
soil to warm up. Hard to warm anything when it's overcast and
raining little ice pellets! Wait a minute, I thought that stupid
groundhog said winter was over! Eh, maybe it's time to put him in
the stew pot. Goofy tradition that doesn't mean anything anyway. I
trust the local skunks more than that overfed groundhog. Yep, I
smelled one yesterday. That one might have jumped the hibernation
gun but it's a good sign better weather is just around the corner.
Also, the horse and goats are loosing hair just a little bit. When
you draw back a glove covered in hair after the morning rub, it's a
sign of better weather coming. They know when spring is here.
Casper, the photobombing billy goat is
still off on his date. I'll probably check up on him this weekend.
It is my opinion that breeding season is over but the nannys owner
insisted that she was in heat. If her Togg is in heat, more power to
her. Casper will do his job. I miss him around here tho. Kind of
nice not to get harassed every feeding time over the bucket before I
can get it spread out. Casper is not happy unless he gets a mouthful
before anybody else! LOL
The babies are mostly billys this year.
They're still too young to really have a good assessment for the
young nannys. (2 for sure, one white, one carmel colored) So far,
they look good but that can always change as they develop. I've got
a good picture in my head of what I want in the herd. Plus, the idea
of having all experienced nannys for next season is a pretty good
one. And, maybe it's a good idea to just hang steady with the size
of the herd for this year. A thought for later on since it's feeding
time and I need to get moving..........
Now it's Wednesday, February 17th.
Chores are all done and I'm working on finishing my first cup of
coffee. Whaaaa?!? Just the first? Yep, dogs wanted out first thing
and they herded the goats up and brought them to the front door.
There goes my peaceful meditation over a cup of coffee thing. It
flew right out the window. I want to stay home from work today, very
badly. I feel the inventory flu coming on. Eh, I don't have to do
the actual inventory, I spent the last 2 weeks doing precounts etc.
All I have to do is try to conduct business around 20 people not
familiar with my store and none of them really want to be there
either. Makes for a long, long day. Then there's my ex-husband, who
acts like we're still happily married and he's just hanging out at
his parents house, texting me first thing “how ya doin baby?”
Really???? What am I, a pink pig? We're divorced. We're staying
divorced. No, you're not moving back in here and the divorce papers
really are a legal, binding document. ARG, come on coal mine! Buy
me out so I can disappear from here and start over somewhere far away
from this nutcase.
20 minutes and I have to leave for
work. Yay rah. Even tho it's warmed up to 45F, wish there was a
little sunshine to go with it. Yesterdays snow and cold is almost a
memory, LOL Stil some hang-on drift piles around the farm. I turned
the Spookmeister loose this morning. She took off bucking of course,
made 3 laps around the barn and proceeded to roll in a couple choice
mudholes. Same old Spooky.
Well crap, time to head for the job.
Damn, I want to stay home today. Lunch break will be here soon
enough tho and that's when I will post this. More ramblings coming
up, LOL.........................
Posts
