Happy New Year!

 I just don't know how it is possible that 2022 is over and a new year begins,  I guess once you get to a certain age, life just speeds up. It seems like life on the farm is so busy that sometimes I wonder how I managed life when there were three kids and a full-time job.  My sister-in-law said it best, "We just don't get started like we used to."  And I guess she is right.

This year for the first time since we moved to Missouri, we had company for Thanksgiving.   My sis and her hubby were here and it was so much fun to visit and just enjoy the company.  I was so proud since I fixed candied sweet potatoes (from the garden) green bean casserole (from the garden) and pumpkin pie also from the garden.  We had deviled eggs from our chicks and pear jelly from the orchard.  There is such a sense of accomplishment when I go to the basement and pull from my stockpile that I raised and preserved myself.  

The holiday season brought community celebrations which is one thing I adore about living in a small community.  My sister and I were able to shop at several craft fairs for unique gifts as well as attend community chili dinners and parades.  Our town has a night parade that is lit up on each float, musician, and horse.  Though we normally go to visit my inlaws at Christmas, this year we stayed home because of the extremely cold weather.  A loss of power could have meant suffering animals, frozen pipes, and more.  We luckily did not suffer any outages though, so all was well.

In late October, our two female goats, Laverne and Shirley came into heat, so we bred them to Mr. Bill our horn dog billy goat.  By now, we are pretty certain they are both pregnant so we will be expecting babies in late March or Early April.  I am excited, scared, and cautious, I am reading every piece of goat literature I can get my hands on.  I think Laverne is starting to show a little.

Our chicks are on hiatus and are currently not laying much if at all. We have a bantam rooster who doesn't like me and today waited until I had my back turned to come after me. He may be small but he is ferocious.

Then there are the bees.  If you know me, you know that beekeeping has been a painful and expensive learning experience for me.  But this last hive of bees is thriving.  Our temps last week were negative double digits but today it is nearly 60 degrees out.  When I walked out to the bird feeder, this is what I saw:

It seems that the bees gather the protein dust from the seeds in lieu of pollen since nothing is blooming right now.  

The other things that are keeping me busy these days are my freelance writing, my Etsy shop, and baking cookies.  I am obsessed with royal icing and made so many sugar cookies!

Do you make resolutions?  I kinda do.  I mean it's more like goal-setting for me.  For example, I want to make it a point to write every day.  Write something.  In a journal, on a blog, something.  By doing this I hope to improve my skills and maybe even someday get published.  

I want to devote more time to my Etsy shops.  Creativity is something I think we all have in us somewhere.  I love designing and making, but sometimes put it off because I need to do something else that may generate more income.  

And to add more balance to my life.  Play more.  Fish more.  Go sit with the goats. Do the things that bring me joy with the people (or animals)that make me the happiest.  

May 2023 bring you joy, health, and love.  Happy New Year my friends!

My Goats, The Barn, My Happy Place

 Sometimes we find the most joy in the most unusual places, don't we?  Never ever did I think I would fall in love with three little goats.  I never thought I would actually enjoy the smell of the barn, and not mind shoveling goat poo.  But as God is my witness, I have found my Utopia in a goat barn.  

We have had the kids for a year now.  We took my 97 minivan to Kansas to pick them up.  To say I was unprepared would be an understatement.  Our goats were so tiny!  And I had no idea what to do with them. Meet Mr. Bill, Laverne, and her twin sister Shirley.   They cuddled in the van but by the time we got them home on that hot July day, they were ready to eat.

It took them a bit to warm up to us but now they are attentive, loving, and full of mischief.

The year has been a learning experience for us.  So many misconceptions!

  So much to learn!

1. Goats do not eat everything.  Not tin cans, not hay when it falls on the floor, not some goat feed.  They are finicky.  They only want the best hay, the leaves off of all the trees, and whatever the other one has.
2. When one goat gets sick, they all get sick.  I read that you need to pay attention to their goat poop.  It should look like bbs and be everywhere.  So one day I started noticing Mr. Bill's poop was soft and more like it came from a cow.  My husband said don't worry.  I worried anyway.  Within a couple of days, Mr. Bill had a bad case of diarrhea and wasn't eating.   Here I sat washing his behind and cleaning up messes.  By the time it was all over, they all three got it, I treated it, and it was over.  Thank God for Google and YouTube.  
3. Goats can get into everything.  They can climb ladders, steal your hat, and pee on your tools. We learned really quickly that they are curious creatures and that they cannot be trusted.   

 Our goats are Oberhasli dairy goats.  Though they are from the same breeder, the twins are from different parents.  We plan on breeding them in the fall so we can have Springtime babies.  The barn is complete but we are considering a buck barn.  Right now they are separated, but Mr. Bill is really rambunctious and unpredictable.  I think he needs to be farther away.  We just have some logistics to work out with things like power and water.  

 

Time to Stake the Peas!

 It seems like once the garden is planted, time just flies by.  I keep a simple garden book so i can look back on what worked, what didn't, and a record so I don't forget what I planted where.  I just used an old vinyl notebook that I had on hand.  

I punched holes in some typing paper and drew a map of the garden.  I put what I planted and when I planted each item.  

I keep a journal as well.  That way I can note anything that happens that is weird like the late frost we had or when we fertilize, or whatever.  

And I keep all the seed packets and pot pokes that identify species, planting depth, germination times, etc.  For example, I planted two types of peas.  One variety is doing much better than the other.  So I can look back and find what kind I planted and when.  

Speaking of peas!  If you have ever grown peas, there are a couple of things that you probably already know. Peas like cool weather.  Hot....not so much.  Peas like to attach themselves to anything and everything that they can.  That makes them hard to weed and harvest if they are growing in a ball and grabbing on to weeds and each other.  So it is important to get your peas planted early and some kind of stake or trellis is essential.  We planted our peas on March 27.  Even with a freeze they are doing well.  One type was really getting tall so today I went to the garden and staked them up.

So you know that I am cheap.  So last year I found these stakes that I think are used for electric fencing.  You can see that they have these little arm things that hold fence wire.  Well they also hold pea support wires as well.  (Pea support wires aren't really a thing, but they could be!)

After I pounded them into the ground with a small hammer, I wound wire over the arms, wrapping around the post to make them more secure.  I had to go back and get some of the pea plants that were taller to help place them in the wire supports.

Last year I did this but I used baker's twine.  Although it looked really cute, it wasn't right for the job.  The twine stretched when wet and did not give the plants the support they needed.  This wire is very thin, and of course it was free, so I used it and I am hoping it will work as well as I have imagined.  

We are tackling our fencing for our goat babies tomorrow.  I can't wait to show you Randy's $0 invention to roll the wire.  Stay tuned!