Baker's Acres

Petting zoo

2012-01-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

In July we started our own petting zoo, it's been interesting to say the least. Things I never knew I was supposed to do with the farm I'm now finding I have to do with the zoo. For example: apparently I was supposed to be registered with the department of employment even though I have no employees...??? What sense does that make?

Anyways I found this out because we are hoping to take on volunteers through www.wwoof.org. We dont want to accept volunteers though if it would create legal hassles for us so we called our insurance company for the zoo and they told us to contact workers comp. After registering we have to wait now for them to send us a packet of information. I don't want to wait! :)I want to know NOW if we can have volunteers or not.

This last year has been amazing to say the least. Due to circumstances outside our control our income doubled for the year. Leaving us money to pay all our debts, buy some petting zoo equipment and start that up, and we also bought a greenhouse. I'm not talking a little greenhouse, I'm talking 50 feet by about 20, dream come true greenhouse!

I am hoping to take on volunteers to help with several things. Both of the girls are at an age now where they fight constantly, leading to mommy having to supervise more. I'm finding it harder and harder to find the time to get out and take care of all the animals the way they should be cared for. Lots of basic care things have started to get done when they have to be done not when they should be done. Vaccinations, wormings, hoof trimmings, barn cleanings etc. So we are hoping for volunteers who would want to do daily care with and for the animals. We also have some new animals that we purchased this last year that need some training, love, grooming, etc. Then of course there's the greenhouse, I'd love to find a volunteer that wanted to work with the plants and plant, weed, build some basic planting boxes, etc.
Most of this is stuff I adore doing and simply don't have time for anymore. I've been spending any free time I have promoting and starting the petting zoo, building better housing and conditions for the animals, and doing what I can when I can. And of course answering random business questions.

I just got a phone call from a gentleman that purchased rabbits from us last year and wanted to know if we had any cages for sale. Ummmmm...until this moment no...but....that one could go....that one could...and so on... lol
So it looks like I get to go dress my children and get them ready to go outside for a bit so that I can sell some cages. For the last few years I've been aquiring any cages from anywhere I can find. Often for little to no money. But now I have all these cages and no time to fix them. Might as well make a small profit on them and pass them onto someone who needs them. One less thing for me to clean up around here.

The new website for the zoo and farm is www.bakersacreswy.com and I'm hoping it will stay there. We are having problems editing it though so I'm looking for a new host.

Todays plan

2011-05-17T09:27:00.003-06:00

Okay, other than watching an extra child around here I've really been trying to get my life (and house) in order. Several months ago I made a decision that this house whould be a whole lot easier to clean if it didn't have so much &^%^ in it! Soooo....I started on one end of the house and started cleaning stuff out. I went through my pants first...I had pants in my closet from when I was pregnant with Lilly. Well that was the biggest I've ever been in my life and ever intend to be! I was 60 pounds lighter with Hannah even. Out they went! Then, reality check needed, I haven't been a size 14 or 16 since I was a teenager and probably never will be again, out they go! That leaves very few pants that fit and a few that fit if I jerk up my belt to make them stay on...and we'll keep the 18's, I haven't given up fitting into them again yet. LOL
I then abandoned the rest of the closet for another day. I moved into my room, hmm what trinkets do I have that I don't even look at?? I went through the entire house this way. I hauled boxes of stuff to donate and hauled bags of garbage off. Yes, I have those I'm going to fix that one of these days projects too. Now was the time, They're either fixed or they're trash!

When February came I had to be at the ranch too much and the house got into disarray again. I lost alot of that momentum I had going. Today I'm going to pick it up and start again. First thing I need to do is get the house back into somewhat livable condition. This mean I need to break down and clean my kitchen that I've been avoiding. My hubby typically does about 2 loads of dishes in 3 days. This always leaves at least one load every 3 days that needs doing. Then I need to put away all the boxes that I've gotten out in order to make meals that I haven't put back and ended up on my counters. Then I get to buck up, swallow deep, and tackle the kitchen floor with the broom and mop. I love you Hannah! I just wish you wouldn't feel the need to toss leftovers onto the floor!

I also need to catch up on the girls laundry today. :P yuck!

If I manage to get that done I should start one of my "decluttering" projects up again. I skipped most of our closet, all of the office, the girl's closet, the recipe cupboard, the videos, the craft boxes, and several other "little" hidden things. I still need to do them though so that I have room to put other stuff away. Off to work! It's supposed to rain here for the next three days so I should have lots of time to get a good start on it!

may is here!

2011-05-16T15:04:00.002-06:00

ahhh another may! The weather is warming up, the grass is getting green and most importantly...we are almost done with babies!!! I am so SICK of babies!! Baby ducks, baby goslings, baby chicks, baby turkeys, baby rabbits, baby goats, baby.....ugggg enough cuteness already! LOL okay so it really isn't that bad, I love the babies! Just not taking care of them. We're almost done incubating this year though. We have some chickens and a ton of turkeys left in the incubator and that's it! All of the baby rabbits went fast and we have one left that was born just a few days ago. All the ducklings are "sold" and just have to go home. There are but 4 goslings left.

The goat kids are settling into the feeding routine nicely. Get let out, run to the barn, run into the pen, devour grain, get milk, run back to pasture, get treats, try to maul lady giving us food, settle happily into sleep or play. Do this twice a day.

Josh is home now and has a new companion. Her name is Dolly and she's a mini-donkey. It gives him someone to hang out with but he is not "into" her like he is another horse and consequently pays great attention to us when we want to work with him. He went to the horse expo here and got a touch up on his training and doesn't seem to be as spooky anymore, but then things are always spookier in the winter :) We found a cheap round pen at a neighbors and will be working on some groundwork and on cart training this year.

I have an extra child I am "babysitting" this summer. She gets dropped off at random times and the mother doesn't bother to get me a schedule. If I point blank ask I will get told that she works 6-6 but she wont pick up the kid until 9:30 or 10! Also, there are lots of issues in the home and I never know what to expect. I can have her for a week solid and by the 3rd day she will be using the potty regularily without being told (she's 4) and will have great manners, but if she goes home for a few days in between my days the first day she's back with me she whines, cries, throws tantrums, wets her pants, etc...It's frusterating to say the least. Her mother seems to point fingers at everyone else and says her kids are the way they are because of their dad, her boyfriend, her sister, grandma, etc...but then when she's home with her kids she sticks a movie in and "hides" in her bedroom and the kids run wild. There's 3 kids total. The youngest and the one I tackle daily is a 4 year old girl. The others are boys, one is 7 and one is 10. I refuse to watch them. The eldest is out of control, destructive, a bully, and a troublemaker. The younger boy is still correctable and given the proper environment he settles down but greatly seems to resent it. The girls (hers and mine) were having breakfast this morning and S (her daughter) says something that I couldn't understand about a shotgun to L (my 3 year old daughter). L looks at me and asks if we have a shotgun. I flat out lied and told me child no, that we didn't have any guns. S then looks at me and says "I'm gonna shoot my mom". What the HECK!! A 4 year old!!! There's so many problems with that family and it seems like no one cares and no one will do anything. They talk to the other kids that live with them that are older (8,12,16) and "hear" from them that everythings "alright" and take it as such and no one investigates. Even when R (her 10 year old boy) got shot in the eye by the 8 year old with the air soft. Everyone took it as playing and no one did anything.

Grandma and grandpa are trying but there's only so much they can do. Grandma has called all the schools and told them what's going on but they talk to the kids and decide that there's nothing that needs to be done. *sigh* welcome to my life.

More another time, hopefully about improvements around our place not about the emotional problems that everyone on the ranch now has lol

everything and nothing!

2011-04-08T18:09:00.003-06:00

The reason for the title is that EVERYTHING seems to go on at once and then NOTHING gets done!

The last two months have been spent down at my MILs house. We've been getting up at 6, taking care of our animals, then running down to her house by 8. Then we tag calves and kick them out of the corral. We do other chores like clean the barn, treat sick cows, feed cats, feed horses, etc. until lunch. Then we make and eat lunch. Then it's back to the corral every hour to kick up the hay and check on cows. My BIL is supposed to take over at 2-3 pm-ish. This year he has a new girlfriend and hasn't been showing up until 6-10ish soooo....we dont come home until 8 pm. Needless to say it's been exhausting!

The little time that I do have at home has been spent doing laundry and taking care of our animals. Our goats kidded in March. I hauled them down to the ranch barn to have them so that I could keep an eye on them. They lived down there for about a month. In the meantime every time we're home for a few minutes we were picking up eggs to incubate. Then I was having to record everything and rotate the eggs in the incubator and hatcher every week. I also managed to get my bunnies all bred and kindled. Some are reserved already, some aren't.

I'm thankful it's finally slowing down! Now I get to find time to get to Casper and look at some goats I want to purchase, get to Torrington and pick up some chickens, Build a buck pen for the buck we're keeping now (stinky!), along with getting my general life and the girls back in order. Wish me luck!

horse riding part 2

2011-01-09T18:01:00.001-07:00

Ride 8: a month later; mount up, ride around the house and down to the road. I decide that I'm still not up for another terrorizing country ride just yet. We plod down the county rd. A vehicle comes up behind us and we step off the side of the road. I allow him to turn and watch as the vehicle goes by. He steps back onto the road willingly and trys to break into a run after the vehicle. Crazy horse! We go up to the culvert and he sees the shining pipe sticking out at each side of the road. He won't go over it but we manage to go off the road and around the pipe. Back on the road we ride up the hill. I have the idea that maybe he'd like to meet Jericho since he'll have to meet her eventually anyways. I call up my MIL and she says Yes I can ride to her house. We ride down the road. We get to the bottom without much ado other than him calling wildly to the other horses that live right there. I dismount and lead him through the gate, off of our pasture land and into the alley way by the county road. I figure out that if I stand him next to the county road in the bar ditch and I stand on the road's surface I can just manage to climb back on. I do so. We walk a couple steps. Prancing the entire way because all he wants to do is go play with the horses. I sigh and dismount again. I lead him past them and mount again. We ride a few more steps. The next house has a huge dog that runs out barking. Thankfully he doesn't spook but absolutely refuses to go any further. I dismount. It takes me 20 minutes to coax him past the dog. I mount again as hubby drives up in car (he's supposed to pick me up at MIL's so Josh can stay a bit). He opens gate into pasture by MIL's and I turn thankfully off the road into it. We ride up the road, Jumping slightly when a bird flies but otherwise not reacting. We get to where the tractor is parked along the road and he balks at that. You dingy horse you've been walking past that at our place. Suddenly he catches the sound and smell of Jericho. Tractor is forgotten as he whinies joyfully! Forward. I manage to slow him from his trot back to a fast walk. He's paying so much attention to Jericho that he isn't paying attention to where we are going. He steps into some mud and spooks. I manage to hang on as he leaps about 5 feet forward before walking again like nothing happened. I was very relieved to be there finally. The intro went well and he spent the weekend.
Ride 9: I decide I'll ride him home instead of trailering. I must be an idiot! We plod down the road (we took the driveway instead of the pasture road so that we'd go by more houses on the county road since I know he needs to get over the previous problems). We stop every 10 feet and whinny madly. When we finally get out of ear shot of Jericho he walks willingly to the road. Hubby drives ahead slowly and parks by gates to let us out. Shys slightly at hubby...what's up with that??! We walk past the first house and their dogs rush out suddenly barking. We're off to the races! Stop you nutso horse it's okay! I'm still alive and alright...good. Shaky but determined I ride past the other dog's house, he's not out today. I ride past the horses' pasture, they're too far away to care. I ride up the road towards our house. Hubby drives past and goes home since there's no more gates. We get 3/4 of the way up the hill and suddenly Josh realizes he's not out just a pleasure ride, he's going home. Feet planted. I prod and coax and kick determined not to give in ad not to get off. We make it to the top of the hill. No further. I dismount and start to lead him. I have never had a problem leading him as he's been cooperative to that since I got him. I take the lead rope and start walking. I come up short. I read somewhere that if a horse refuses to move you just keep walking in place and don't look back. This has always worked before when he's slightly balked at something. Not moving though today. Knowing I don't have a shot at overpowering him I nonetheless try...I pull and I tug...we go backward two steps. I sigh. I stop. We stand at the top of the hill and I scratch and talk for 10 min. I try leading again. Nothing. Now I'm frustrated and lost. I take him back even a little ways and he wins but the only place I could get Tim to bring the trailer is at the bottom of the hill. Otherwise he'd have to go past me with it, turn around and then go past us again. I talk and scratch some more. Lead...nothing. I try pulling again...nothing. We stand there. I decide there's only one thing to do and hope I won't regret it. I take the end of the lead rope and whack his butt with it...Hard. He jumps about 2 ft forward. Gives me an awful look and starts walking again. At the bottom of the hill I mount again and we ride the rest of the way home.

He stood out in the pasture for a week barely eating and staring towards MIL's before I gave in and hauled him back (in the trailer). I've ridden 2-3 times since then but not more than about 300-500 feet. He shys away from having the saddle put on and the longer he's at MIL's the "spookier" he gets. He jumps at everything now. I need to get him back here where he's closer to work with and less spooky but we don't have a companion here and he's obviously miserable without one. Lose lose situation. I think I'm going to go back to the basics and start lungeing exercises with him. *sigh* I'm also going to hire a different trainer when we can spare the money and have them put 60 rides on him.

Sheesh!

2011-01-09T16:46:00.005-07:00

I am really slacking here...I just realized that I NEVER posted that we got a horse! After wanting one my entire life we purchased a Belgian Purebred stallion in April.

He wasn't very happy with his new home at first. The week after he came home he made a trip to the vet to fix the stallion part. No way was I going to have a stallion here with two little girls. Then a few weeks after that he got sent to training.

The trainer we hired it took me almost the entire time to figure out that I should have chosen someone else. She did teach him and he has a whole lot better manners than he did when he left but she put only half the time into him that the other trainer we were considering would have and she didn't put the 60 rides on him. She left that for me to do! HA! That would be part of why I hired a trainer! I don't like green horses taking me for "rides" and there's a BIG difference between 60 rides and 5. Also even though she had agreed to train him to drive as well her version of it was throwing the harness on him and hooking him up. Consequently he barely accepts the harness and now spooks when anything is hooked up behind him.

This is where I mention that while not a beginner I'm far from being a confident BALANCED rider. I'm used to riding the ranch horses. Jericho will balk and refuse to move and play dumb games like that but I can deal with that. She even reared once with me. Conveniently I was trying a new saddle when she did it and the seat was too small for my rear and I was stuck in it! LOL She's never tried that with me since. My new horse is not only green but he's young. He's only a two year old (almost three now). I named him Josh. I couldn't think of anything else that fit him and I was also being cute. "Joshua" fought the battle of "Jericho"

My first few rides on him go something like this....
Ride 1: Use cable spools to climb on. I can't mount him on my own as he's over 16 hands tall. Ride around to the front of the house, dance sideways at fowl, stop and stare at car, back away from house. Okay...not bad but not pleasant. That's enough for today now...how do I get down?? Guide horse towards back of house and cable spools. Horse balks at propane tank and wont ride by it again. Try higher up on the hill, horse balks at rabbit hutches. Hubby asleep in house and doesn't know I'm stuck. Hmmm...look around what can I use...Guide horse up to trailer, dismount onto trailer right as horse jumps sideways away from it.
Rides 2-4: Cable spool climb on, ride around front, ride around house area for several minutes, ride reluctantly back to the back and dismount on cable spools.
Rides 5-6: Climb on on cable spool, ride around front and out into pasture across rode. Open area now. He's reluctant to move back to the house as he isn't tired yet but does so with coaxing. Ride progressively further out.
Ride 7: Mount, ride around front, down the rode and out into pasture. He's been doing so well that I decide to take him even further out. He's done good going to the stream so I have him walk along it and look for a place to cross. Find a place to cross. Steps willingly into stream and paws water onto tummy a bit then moves calmly up other side. the crossing leads out onto an area surrounded by gullys. We ride up one hill away from the stream only to be stuck on a plateau. Checking out the terrain I spy a gently sloping hill with a small 4" step down at the bottom. The area then crosses a small branch of water. It then goes up a slow slope back to the top of the open area. This looks like our best bet. We start slowly down the hill. Halfway down the hill we suddenly break into a gallop and go tearing down the hill followed by a mighty leap over the 4" step landing and then jumping over the creek. We then dash up the other side before I can bring him to a stop. Oh geez!! Okay....I'm alright....then my stomach sinks as I realize that to go home I have to go back through that. I feel sick. He's standing there acting as if nothing happened. I manage my first dismount without an aid and drop thankfully the last inches to the ground. I didn't sign up for this....shouldn't this have been covered by a trainer in his first 60 rides??!!! Scratching his neck (I really do adore the horse) I lead him back down the gully and across the ditch and stream and walk the rest of the way home. I don't see anything I can use as a mounting aid and that's just fine with me!

(more on Josh another day...
Day 3 and probably 4 of the challenge...sick sick sick...get better!, keep up water intake)

Cat target

2011-01-09T16:11:00.002-07:00

Tim got up yesterday and the new dog we're trying out was barking. He woke me up and told me that he's barking at something out in the field and it looks like a coon or a skunk and has a big fluffy tail. Normally I would jump at the chance to exterminate some predator this close to the house but yesterday I just laid there thinking yeah right. For starters the new dog barks at EVERYTHING! The other two weren't barking. Living out in the country this hasn't had a factor in if we will keep him or not, it's just somehting we'll need to train him in. Second thought was that if it was a skunk or coon that the dog barking was going to scare it off. Probably a cat, I decided, laying there. Tim comes back in and grins sheepishly at me, " hunting a Butch we go" he says. I laughed...a cat.

So far the new pup had several great points going for him...
1. Adult - not puppy
2. Rides great in car, gets in willingly and waits for an Ok before getting out
3. Plays fetch with anything. High point for me since I adore watching a dog run full out to retrieve something
4. Even better...runs around kids while fetching instead of running them over (downfall that my old pup has)
5. Smart and eager to please, seems to want to do what's right
6. Very loving, thinks he's velcro for your lap or leg.
7. not sure how he is with cattle but he's smart enough to avoid the goats.

Negative points:
1. Both times I've had him out of the yard he has gone after birds, first time a goose, (thankfully the goose I don't care much for, wacked him with the empty plastic garbage can I was carrying to make him let go) second time one of my chickens and I managed to yell no at him before he got a bite. This was one of the high points on one of the first dogs we tried to adopt and what sent her back to the pound. This dog however I really feel a connection with and would like to believe that since he's willing to stop when I yell no at him that I might be able to correct it or at the very least chicken proof the yard and have a happy medium.
2. Supposedly is only "partially" housebroken. Another big point. I've watched him mark everything under the sun outside and have been cleaning my house up so there are less marking temptations inside. We are going to try bringing him inside and seeing how he does. This one is a big issue because I do want a companion animal. If he can only be in the yard or kennel we should probably take him back since with the girls this young I spend a fair amount of time indoors (esp. in the winter) and he would be alone far too much.

A combination of both negatives just isn't good for us. If he wasn't housebroke but was good with birds then I could work on housebreaking later or even not housebreak him and spend a fair amount of time with him outside while I do my chores and farm cleanup everyday. Conversely being stuck in the yard limits my time with him outside so he really needs to be able to come inside to be with us.

On other pages: I completed Day 2 of the challenge with 12 glasses of water and an hour workout on the wii fit. This consisted of about 10 min yoga, 6 min strength training (I wussed out), about 15 min of balance games, and a half hour cardio workout. The cardio workout involved a little hula hoop, some step areobics, and me gasping my way "I can do it, I can do it, I can do it" little engine that could style through ten minutes of freestyle-Jogging.

Today's tasks:
8 glasses of water
Start pancreas flush (morning for 5 days)
afternoon nap
Watch food intake
No exercise (This is the day of REST after all)

biggest loser!

2011-01-07T11:12:00.002-07:00

Happy New year everyone!

I made absolutely no new year's resolutions this year...after all, I never keep them anyways! That being said...some girls in a moms group I attend decided that they were going to do a biggest loser competition. $30 to get in on it and whoever loses the highest percentage of weight wins the whole pot. The pot is currently close to $700. hmmm talk about incentive to lose weight...think of all I could do with that.
I don't honestly believe I stand a chance against all the skinny gals that have entered. After all, they lose one pound for their 160lbs and they've got a higher percentage than my 2 lbs for my 285ish pounds. I'm darn well going to try though! I've got lots to lose and since I had Hannah I just seem to keep creeping up.
Sooooo....I got up this morning, said my prayers, took a shower and started by loading the girls in the car. We drove into the gym in town and I paid $4.50 to have the girls babysat for an hour (ridiculous!). I turned in my free month membership though that I'd won in a raffle so didn't have to pay for the membership at least.

I take the girls into the "daycare" I'm greeted by a short woman that probably weighs 200 pounds and NONE of it is fat! Her skimpy shorts show off bulging calves and upper legs. Short sleeved shirt shows off bulging muscular arms. Stomach?? Flat and hard as a brick....
Silly me....I thought that the daycare at the GYM might be ran by someone who actually looked like a mom!! I've got a long way to go to look anywhere close to that! I'm not sure I'll ever have a tummy that doesn't look like it's bore children.

I wander around the gym vaguely looking for a bike....hmm I don't see any bikes but there's one of those nice treadmill things that tells me how many calories I burned during the workout. Jump on that and start it up....enter weight.....Realize I should have brought a book or something...look around...a couple of machines down is a gal that looks like she has headphones on that the cord is coming from the machine. Reach down and pull emergency switch button...my bad...um....restart machine....realize that the gal has an MP3 player in the cupholder. Okay...that's do-able, wonder where hubbys MP3 player is, remember that it's on the desk...wonder where the cord to load it with music and charge it is? Think of huge milk crate in closet filled with cords...*sigh* Decide I need to think about something else, glance around again. Okay they have TV....hmmm political stuff...okay...throw that out...look around some more....

Why is it that everyone that belongs to a gym is skinny as a rail already and has muscles the size of basketballs?? Notice the bank of mirrors facing me on my left side. Is that really me???!!! Oh I feel SOOOO much better now.....
Keep walking...don't look at mirrors....glance at clock on treadmill....5 minutes...this is going to be a LONG workout!!!
Finish workout. Machine flashes mileage and time...no calories...I forgot to set my weight the second time....drat!!! Collect girls. Get paperwork that says I need to get their shot records...another errand....
On the way out run into one of the gals "hosting" the competition. I really like her, she's very nice but she's one of those gals that doesn't have much to lose...hmmm great...She tells me "good job" for coming to the gym. I grin stupidly and think that she's probably there all the time. I guess I should have told her good job back but was trying to think positive and think about how I was going to lose all my extra weight. Chalk up one for insensitivity on my part...

Goals for day one:
Increase Water intake from nonexsistant to 12 cups per day.
Pamper self in morning to make it through day.
Weight check
Go to gym and start excersise program
Eat NO processed sugar!

Results:
Drank 8 cups throughout morning and before writing this (also have visited the bathroom at least 10 times! ugg)
Weight check: (reluctantly hopped on my wii this morning and checked...hmm up 2 lbs in 40 days....about right)
Pampering...ignore stirring children and take warm shower....rub lotion EVERYWHERE! AAAHHHHH
Gym: Grit teeth and make plans to attend next week as well, workout on Wii in between...
Food: Modify breakfast to include one apple and one orange instead of a big bowl of honey nut chex. So far no sugar....
Plan for remaining day...clean away temptations....dump cheescake leftovers to chickens, hide candy, etc...

quick update!

2010-12-01T21:37:00.002-07:00

We have of course been very busy here. I've been building new coop, new pens, fighting off predators, puzzling over other predators, switching dogs, and baking and making. I will try and expand more on that soon. This upcoming weekend is the senior centers craft fair and I have a table there. For a few more details you can look me up on facebook under Jennifer Baker or the business under Bakers Acres! You'll know it's the right one if it has a pup wearing a chef's hat for a pic. Working on expanding the business and getting everything set up right now then will update more here and post the new website addy.

Nora Maes reply

2010-09-23T09:42:00.002-06:00

Hello, Blogger says I cant see your profile and therefore wont let let me respond to you. My suggestion would be to take a horse hoof rasp and rasp it every few weeks until normal. :) One of my goats was never trimmed before I got her and I've been fighting ever since to get her feet right. Finally getting there by rasping them. I'll rasp until I start getting to the pink then I let her rest a week or two and I rasp some more off. Makes it very easy to get both sides level as well.

Something to be wary of in the angoras is that angoras have a breed specific lice that attacks them. Be very alert when buying your stock as it can be spendy to treat :) Good luck! Thanks for commenting and for following. Hopefully when the farmers market here is done I'll write more.

Baking

2010-09-11T21:20:00.002-06:00

Well, of course I've been busy again! lol Two weeks ago I spent friday baking my heart out on cookies, brownies, toffee bars and other various desserts. Saturday morning I rose bright and early and hauled it all into my first farmers market that I've participated in. The general goal was actually to pass out the nifty business cards that I'd printed out. I did a great job passing those out but when the day ended I'd sold a grand total of nothing...

Listening throughout the day to the other vendors though I discovered that breads apparently sell better than sweets (just wrong in my opinion ;) ) sooooo....friday of last week was spent baking some basic breads. White, Wheat, banana, a few gluten-free selections. I sold out in two hours and also got requests for sourdough and more gluten-free.

Fast forward to this week. Thursday - get up, not feeling horrible but just generally tired. I spend all day thursday baking gluten-free bread and quick breads.
Friday - I crawl out of bed, look at the kitchen in disgust and decide that I'm definetely under the weather and baking stinks! I also decide that I'm not going to waste all of yesterdays baking by not finishing it today. My husband calls me a stubborn wench... I smile weakly and bake bread till 8 at night on friday. Then milk the goats, put the girls to bed, and unload the feed I bought on wed.
Saturday - I crawl out of bed, wrap the now cool loaves, print labels for my farm fresh eggs and load the car. At 8 (we're supposed to be there at 8:30) I wake the girls and fly through dressing and loading, throwing portable breakfasts in the car. We sold, we sold, we sold.

I discovered several things:
1: You can make ALOT of money at farmers markets
2: The money may not be worth it when you're sick
3: If you take your extra rabbits and put free signs on them they leave quickly
4: I enjoy baking more than I thought I did and will have to continue after the markets over (not when I'm sick)
5: Husbands don't volunteer to go to the market with you to help sell
6: The other kids help wear your children out
7: Baking for two days straight is very tiring but nessacary to keep up with the demand here
8: I stink at making sourdough bread...everyone wants to buy it...

This weeks plan: Change menu slightly (less white bread more specialty breads), restart starter for sourdough (one cheat one like this weeks and one good one to keep going), GET BETTER, Bake thursday and friday again, saturday make enough to pay for all the extra bread pans I've bought.

chore time!

2010-04-22T06:58:00.002-06:00

Well the next coulple of days are hoping to be filled with cleaning, sorting, and getting rid of! I've been following a blog. 5 Weeks to a clean and organized home. I haven't started yet though. The problem with the blog is you have to be able to find your home first!

Soooo....on Tuesday I spent some time with my girls cleaning the living room and staring the kitchen. The living room is now officially ready to start the indepth cleaning. Now if I can just keep it that way while the other rooms get there. The girls were amazingly helpful. Hannah played in her exersaucer that I brought in that day and was a rather happy baby all day. Lilly helped pick up and also helped by feeding baby Hannah.

Hoping today goes as smootly. Kitchen clean up, laundry folding, and general bedroom tidy up today.

My husband acquired a fish tank (25 gal) last summer at a garage sale and has had fish in it ever since. Well a few weeks ago we decided to downgrade to make it easier to take care of for awhile. Most of the freebie fish went down the road and the left over fish went in a ten gal tank. The problem is that now the rocks, filter, heater, tank, and lid are all sitting scattered around my bathroom waiting for a good scrubbing! That is NOT on the list of things to do today! It does however interfere with the deep cleaning of the bathroom so will have to be done eventually.

In the process of reading the blog though I have been walking through my house ever since saying "that can leave...so can that" I think a major garage sale is in order if I can ever get to the spring cleaning, finish it, and get rid of stuff...

Clifford

2010-04-19T21:52:00.002-06:00

Took the girls to meet Clifford yesterday at the Library. Lilly adored it! They had all the kids sit in a semi circle then clifford and his buddy came in. His buddy (a gal from PBS) read a clifford story and then we got time to meet clifford individually and take pics if we wanted.
Then to top it off our local theater put on a clifford showing right afterwards. Snacks costed but the movie was free.

After Clifford we came home and had lunch and naps (all of us) and somehow the rest of the day just drifted away.

Today has been a cleaning day so far. I managed to get the living room cleaned up some and a bit of the kitchen. Now I'm exhausted and headed for a nap ;)

New life

2010-04-19T11:00:00.000-06:00

So in case you didn't figure it out from my last post we have new animals and a new baby!

Hannah Rose was born 2/23. She's a wonderful beautiful little girl and we all adore her...nuff said ;)

We also have goat kids, Ellie had triplets on 3/22 and Sue had twins on 3/23. The doelings have all been sold and are doing wonderful in their new homes. The bucklings (one ellies, one sues) and still hanging around desperately hoping they get a home.

After many months of trying to get lop bunny babies our male has finally figured it out and the two females each had a litter of 5 (less than a day apart) on Saturday. And our Californian should be pregnant as well and due the end of this month.

We also have a variety of chicks (about 27ish?), baby turkeys (17)(turks?), ducklings (6), and two goslings.

We are overran with new life! In a few months several of the above will need new homes if anyone is interested. :)

New attitude

2010-04-18T10:46:00.003-06:00

It's amazing what you can discover in a few short hours...I had a wonderful oppurtunity to be away from my two girls (Hannah Rose was born 2/23) and my husband this weekend and learned that somewhere between getting married, getting a new house set up, getting the farm built, and having two children I'd lost me...

All weekend long I've been struggling between getting things done (items built, items repaired, house cleaned, etc) and just relaxing. I feel such a need to push and get stuff done. I look around and see the dirty dishes all over the kitchen, see the laundry piled high unfolded in baskets and overflowing the dirty clothes basket, see hay left all over the living room having fallen out of the rabbit cage and drug here and there. Every time I get a few hours away from my older girl (very rarely) I've used it to finish tasks that are almost impossible to complete while she's here. Or...I escape to the computer and stare at a screen playing some addicting facebook game to be able to forget about all the work and dredgery of daily life. And yet I am critical of my husband's lack of taking time off and relaxing a bit. He works himself to death between driving concrete truck to support us, working on the ranch, and working here at the house. He never takes a day off and rarely sits down to do anything relaxing. What a hypocrite! Am I any different?

Today I got up and started my usual animal chores...get the bottle warmed for the kid (goat), get the milk bucket out of the dishwasher, milk and grain the goats, make sure there is hay and water in the pastures (although everything is getting greener now), then after collecting eggs and turning the chickens out I checked on the chicks in the brooder. I opened the door to be met with a blast of heat, humidity, and stench. *sigh* Another chore to do, the brooder needs cleaned. Then it occured to me that the fowl is two weeks old this week and it's a beautiful day! Looking around I find feeders and waterers and set them up with feed and water in the A frame huts I built last year (or was that two years ago?). Finding a carrier I haul the ducks and goslings to one of the huts and the turkeys to the other, the chicks are still in the brooder (light unplugged). On the spur of the moment I flop down on the grass to watch and make sure they'll be okay.

Laying still has a was of making the mind work instead of the body and pretty soon it hit me that I hated the farm, resented doing the chores, hated the house, disliked taking care of my children and husband, and at some point had lost everything I ever loved about me. When I was a teenager I thought I'd be a writer. I love writing and it was one of my biggest passions...I've since lost my inspiration. I haven't been able to put a word to paper about much of anything for years. I've adored animals all my life...When did it become a bothersome waste of time to take care of them? I love my children and my husband very very much and would never want to be without them...why do I feel the need to escape and just run away from everything? When did dishes, and laundry, and a clean kitchen, and a clean office, and etc...become more important then watching my daughter play at the park?

I realized that I had really lost sight of what was important to say the least. I lay on the green grass, breathed the fresh air, heard the rooster crow and the turkeys peep, watched the ducklings fight over who was going to get a bath in the water dish first, looked at my cat laying in front of me purring and begging to be petted and realized that I was wrong. Everything about me is wrong. Yes, all those chores in the house may need to be done but they aren't important. The world will not end if we have to use paper plates because I didn't get the dishes done. The world won't end if the living room has toys all over it and various trash items. The world will not end if supper is not a big meal and is something simple like disgusting hot dogs. Are my chicldren happy? Is my husband? Am I? These are the things that are important...what is wrong in my life that I can't seem to keep them in sight?

So to make a long story short (too late) I've decided that I need to start writing again (hopefully I can find the time), I need to take my kids to something fun at least once a week (park, library etc), I need to spend some time with my husband at least two hours every week (good luck!), and I need to take some time to watch the animals at play (the kids playing king of the hill, the ducklings taking a bath, the cats jumping and running) and remember that these things are what's important.

And I pray to God that I can remember this lesson this time and hold it in my heart as I go about my daily life. And for crying out loud...if someone sees me playing those stupid facebook games yell at me to go play with my dog!

Blessing and nesting

2010-02-02T21:40:00.002-07:00

Blessing the goat had two kids on saturday. Very cute little Boer crosses. They're all white but have floppy ears and lots of muscling. One doe, one buck. The buck may be going tommorrow as a bottle baby to a college kid in Casper. There is also a buyer for a combo Blessing and Doeling kid pending viewing on Sat. and the buck kid leaving. Blessing just isn't producing enough milk to make it worth my time to teach her to milk. Wonderful personality though, I will miss her very much.

In more exciting news...I'm now officially 38 weeks and the Dr. says I can go anytime. Then of course he adds that Wed is not a good day since he has meetings all day and Fri, Sat, and sun he's going out of town so I can't have the baby those days either.
Tonight...I got up and started doing dishes, putting away groceries bought today, washing eggs, picking up Lilly's toys...and about that time it hits me...I'm NESTING!!! The dr. may get a wed. baby wether he likes it or not. Hopefully I can make it till thurs or this is a false alarm...

Lilly: I got up one morning and cleaned all that day, went to bed that night and got up the next morning and my water broke.

I know labor is supposed to be faster on the second...does anyone know if we nest sooner or closer to the baby time? Hmmmm......

Will I wake Lilly up if I go vaccuum?

update

2010-01-30T07:29:00.002-07:00

Two weeks and counting till my baby arrives. I haven't had much energy lately and it seems like I constantly have something hurting. The baby is now head down but the position isn't "fixed" yet. The back of the baby is towards my right side and all her feet and arms are too the left. It seems like everytime she moves now she's punching my guts, stomach, lungs, ribs or some other painful part.

Lilly was such a wonderful pregnancy, I was morning sick for the first three months and rather comfortable after that. This child makes me think that I am definetely done and this will be the last one I want. I hope the child is as wonderfully behaved as Lilly is (yes I know they will have different personalities) and not the monster it's made me feel like it is. I can't wait to hold it in my arms and cuddle it.

My wonderful hubby has been helping around the house quite a bit and I'm afraid to say I'm starting to feel a bit guilty that he's doing so much and I can't seem to hardly find the energy to make meals, let alone anything else.

Things around the farm are at a standstill. I stagger out every morning and feed and water the rabbits, collect the eggs, throw scratch to the chickens, feed the ducks, scoop out from under the roosts every couple of days, grain the goats, feed the dogs and cats, and finally stagger back in. My dear hubby goes out every morning (while I'm still sleeping most mornings) and waters the goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats, and hays the goats. Then he comes in and does a load of dishes, gets our daughter up and dressed and fed, and then looks after her until I manage to drag myself out of bed. On the occasional day that work needs him he gets all the animals taken care of before he leaves at 6:30. Most days after I get up he works on something around here or at his moms.

The other day he crawled under the house to get the jacks out so he could put more blocks under the barn and discovered a broken pipe. He spent the entire day trying to find parts to fix that and getting that fixed. He also has managed to get our new back door in and to get 4 or 5 windows put in in the last week or two.

His wife on the other hand has cleaned the office and moved the plants out of the way of the last three windows and hasn't done much else. I've been to the church twice this week (with him along helping) to catalog the books in the church library and work on that. Most days anymore I just end up sitting around and watching Lilly or a movie and crocheting.

The last few nights Blessing has slept in the barn and gone out with the others during the day. This morning she was acting very restless and kept looking over her shoulder. I'm leaving her in today and we'll see if we have kids. Yeah, more newborns around here, I must be crazy. Speaking of newborns...all three of my female rabbits should be bred as well so that we can have bunnies by easter. One of them is due on my due date. I'm also getting ready to place a bird order for march since I want to have turkeys available for sale this year. Ellie and Sue are both due for their kids the end of March as well... I AM CRAZY....

To do list 2010!

2010-01-03T13:51:00.002-07:00

Survive calving season, kidding season, and the baby arriving with family manners, relationships, and minds intact.

Actually write down how many eggs and gallons of milk we are recieving.

Finish goat barn: Interior walls, stalls, shingling, insulation and interior boards, ceiling for milk room, milk room shelves, second milk stand, windows, etc. Try to get most of the important aspects of this accomplished this month before kids and baby arrives (If Blessing is even preg!)

Pick up "Tina" Fantine from breeding in Cheyenne. She's been there since dec 8th-ish and has refused to come back into heat. GRRR. If not bred by another heat cycle she will be picked up and remain dry this year :( Not fond of the idea of having kids in July/aug. and we're into early june dates already.

Close off eaves of chicken coop and work on insulating and improving it. (provided the money is available) Finish roofing. Sell some chickens! 16-20 eggs a day is WAY more than I can use! Even making all my own baking items.

Breed rabbits successfully! Sell or eat babies!

Buy turkeys in spring, keep female alive this time (modify duck pen to allow ducks/chickens only). Let them eat and stuff themselves fat on our stinkin grasshoppers all summer then sell turkeys!

Finish fencing for second pasture area, finish discussing third area with hubby and possibly put the in as well. Put up grounding wires that are already purchased on outer fence. Dig post holes and make pasture fences permanent.

Modify or rebuild goat shelter in pasture and build second one for other pasture. Possibly make big enough for horse.

Go to lumber store garage sale and buy cheap building supplies again! Put siding on goat barn!

*sigh* wonder for the third year in a row if I will ever have a garden here. Plant a few items in select areas and attempt to even out and work the soil in the garden area. Build fence around berry area to keep cats/birds out. Cross fingers and hope that trees all make it through the winter and that "dead" ones come back. Give up on planting for the year, too many other things to do.

Feed my family more homemade food and eat out a whole lot less! Go for a walk instead of renting movies! Don't buy daughter cute outfit that she doesn't really need just because you like it! Pay debts down!

Clean out shed go through boxes you haven't openeed in two years (better yet dont open them), clean and go through baby items, have a garage sale and store the rest in wood shed. Clean freebie shed out and put new floor on it. Store spare windows in it. Sell metal shed.

Have hubby work on getting the scrap metal out of our area, taking broken down tractors back, moving the steel posts that aren't used to an inconspicuous area and generally cleaning up the looks of the place.

Thoroughly scrub dog kennel and cathouse down. Hopefully buy cheap windows at lumber yard garage sale and put windows in cathouse to replace plexiglass holes. Make cathouse more watertight.

Fix rabbit cages and make shelves in freebie shed for winter living for rabbits. Repair rabbit hutch. Rebuild doors to open and shut better and secure wire better with small boards over the wire. Staples alone do not work well! Move the two portable rabbit hutches closer to the house for winter living and secure.

Put in/set up swingset for daughter with peagravel underneath. Kick cat out of sandbox!

Pound in posts and get pallets to create second row of windbreak for trees so they dont get drifted in every year but still get the snowmelt to water them.

Taken doggy shredded canvas tarp and make bigger pieces into blankets for goat kids in spring.

Put outside flood light up on exterior of house, paint house, finish putting in new windows. Build outside porch area for boots and coats.

Work on constructing elevated herb garden in corner of garden. Plan what to put in.

Build outside excercise pen for rabbits. Build hotboxes for plants, put greenhouse together.

Put boards along the chicken wire fencing on the outer pen to hold wire more securely and safely.

Paint shed

Place stepping stone path across backyard and plant grass. Make flower garden!

Keep up with finances and office work in the house and don't leave for December! (January/feb, etc.) Update finances from 09 and get current again.

Keep house clean and organized!

*sigh deeply* and pray very hard to God to help me get HALF of this done this year!

Maybe I should thank my sister-in-law?

2010-01-02T20:53:00.003-07:00

Maybe I should thank my sister-in-law... the more that happens the more I think maybe I should...

Before problems with SIL: Hubby sits in front of tv playing video games while I make supper, do laundry, fold laundry, etc. Unless I specifically ask him to do something he avoids doing anything. To his credit he did help put his daughter to bed some and also went to work and brought home the paycheck. And although I knew he loved me most of the time there were no compliments or supporting statements to back it up.

Fast forward to today: Hubby goes out and waters MY animals for me, then proceeds to work on the goat barn door for MY goats, then comes in and does dishes, then cooks lunch and dinner while I sit nicely at the table and cut up meat and vegetables, then he puts away his laundry I folded, then helps put his daughter to bed. HMMM I had time to sit down and watch a movie with him...
I thought my hubby was abducted by aliens...so I told him I really appreciated all of his help. I got told that his sister in law ended up in jail and his brother relied on her to do everything and now is having to figure it out on his own or have the MIL help. lol So basically my hubby is trying to learn what I do all day now! I don't know wether to take it as an insult (he thinks Im going to get arrested) or a compliment that he now cares what I have to do.

My guess is it was meant as a compliment especially since it was accompanied by hugs and lots of kisses. My hubby is helpful and loving and sweet and...(I haven't seen this man since our daughter arrived) !

Thank you dumb SIL!

Merry christmas!

2009-12-26T11:16:00.002-07:00

How was everybody's holidays?

Ours was pretty good all things considered. On christmas eve we went to MIL's house and ended up cutting firewood, wrapping last minute presents, discovering that my very old slaughtered hen was cooked too fast and was a tough old bird, and then opening presents. Normally what happens is that the presents get passed out and then everyone tears into them at once and you really can't tell if someone liked your gift or not because you missed them opening it! I asked once why they didn't take turns and got told that the boys are too impatient and cant wait their turns. hmmm..Fast forward to this year...
my MIL, "Okay...let Lilly open one first" curiouser and curiouser...we take turns now?? when did that change?? Did I miss something or did someone finally decide that maybe a 7,11,and 15 year old ARE old enough to take turns?? Lilly of course had difficulty with the concept but all in all she did pretty well, especially since grandma and grandpa let her help open theirs ;)

Lilly recieved a bunch of clothes, a ladybug tent with tunnel, a puppy dog that sings jingle bell rock and spins in a circle, a puppy that knows her name and talks sings and plays games with her, a stroller and carseat for her baby, a kitchen set for her to make her baby food, and a crib and highchair for her baby. All in all she was extremely happy.

I got a wonderful drop spindle to try out from my hubby, a book, a sweater, two pairs of socks, a candle, and a canning book (that I already have ;) )
Tim got a DVD, candy, Some shirts and pants, and a book about having kids (really cute kids book)

Christmas morning we got up and unwrapped santa presents (included above) and then struggled through feeding and watering all the animals in the blizzardy drifts before driving to grandmas for the day. We pretty much did nothing all day. The three boys, Tim, and Rick spent all day playing with the new/used xbox 360 that the boys had gotten. Lilly played in her tent, with her doll and stroller, and her puppys all day. I took the entire day off and veged out in a corner playing my SNES system on an itty bitty TV and not being bothered by a darn thing! In other words, I was a lazy oaf!

I do feel much better today though and am in dire need of some excersise and mobility following my day of entire immobility and am going to go work on cleaning the house up and getting it back in some semblence of order.

Kelle: It's supposed to be another girl but the ultrasound tech flashed over it really really quickly and really didn't convince us that that's what we're having so we're preparing for either. It also doesn't help that I've spent most of this preg feeling like it's a boy. That just might be wishful thinking though to have one of each ;) So names for both/either. That's a very pretty name that they've chosen for your granddaughter!

Some of the names we've been considering: James, Wesley, Rose, Holly...

General news...

2009-12-23T17:37:00.003-07:00

Hmm what have I been doing lately...

Sunday we all stayed home "sick" not because we really felt bad but because we were exhausted. Every now and then Lilly gets a runny nose for no reason at all, this then leads to all sorts of wonderful green stuff running down her throat. This leads to coughing and being awake all night, occasionally vomitting if she gets coughing hard enough. The first night with the runny nose is always the worst since the humidifier hasn't been in her room for long enough to have saturated it. Saturday night was one of those nights...we were awake ALL night! Sunday Lilly ran around and played like she had all the energy in the world. Tim and I on the other hand looked at each other and collapsed on the chair to move only when nes.

Monday was candy making day and we took ourselves down to grandmas. The kids watched movies and played all day (Lilly and 2/3 of the nephews) while grandma and I made peanut butter fudge, chocolate fudge, divinity (white almost marshmellowy flavored candy), penuche (made with brown sugar and tastes like maple candy), and pecan brittle. Not to mention lunch and supper. Wheew we were exhausted by evening but very sugared up ;) Tim, BIL, and FIL worked on fixing vehicles all day long. They got Tim's truck running again, FIL's Four wheeler, and BIL's car all fixed.

Tuesday one of Tim's cousins was supposed to come down and give me a hand going through baby stuff and setting up the house for the new baby. She forgot and made other plans sooo...I called daycare and sent Lilly in and worked on the goat barn from about 9-3. The goats now have a building with very few holes, and a completed stall (with the exception of attempting to waterproof the floor), a stall wall between where the two kidding stalls will be, and 2.5/5ths of the wall done between the milking room and the stalls. It now needs the fronts of the kidding stalls, waterproofed, the rest of the milking room wall and door, a front door on the barn, under the eaves sealed up, and shingles (it has titanium underlayment on right now to keep it watertight until shingles can be put on). We are also due to have a "blizzard-like" storm in the next few days and Blessing is due to kid the end of January...any bets on if it will be ready??
Tuesday night we decided that due to the weather forecast we were going to run some of our "freebie" animals to Casper that night before the storm. So we loaded up 3 chickens, 2 ducks, and 3 rabbits into catch-a-live traps and carriers and loaded them in the back. The duck guy and 2/3 of the rabbit homes we managed to get a hold of. I took spare numbers though and all ended up in homes before the night was out (although unfortunately not nes. the homes they were promised to) I didn't see any point in hauling them back home again to await the storm at our house when there were others in Casper that wanted them.

We are now down to just three rabbits, the two Californians and the holland lop female. The holland lop may be finding a home as well. This gives us few enough rabbits that I can take them down towards the house more and have them more at hand for taking care of in bad weather or baby time. The two ducks that went are two ducklings that were hatched a few months ago but were meat crosses. The three chickens were "ruby's chicks" that Ruby hatched out this summer. They were the only chicks hatched here but for some reason were wilder than snot. This included not going into the pen, flying out of the 6 foot pen, eating my eggs *cuss cuss*, and generally running amuck. I was simply tired of dealing with them. All of "the rogues" are settled down now and laying and proceed quickly and quietly into the coop every night and lay nicely in the nesting boxes (most of the time). We also found a new home for 2/3 of the roos here and are down to one roo. They just simply refused to get along.

Wednesday I spent all morning taking care of the animals (making sure all bed were made, all had plenty to eat/drink, were clean, healthy, and happy, etc.) and then cutting up vegetables to throw into the stew for lunch. I got the veges started cooking and couldn't find the meat that I had bought on monday in the fridge...We bought it then went to grandmas for candy, put it in grandmas fridge for the day, took it out to the vehicle that night in a box of stuff, brought the box in and set it on the freezer and promptly forgot it. I found the icky meat on the freezer in the box this morning. *cuss cuss* two packages of meat ruined and no meat for lunch. So I threw the packages of meat into the garbage can and hear *sSShhhhhHH*. I think "oh great one of the packages broke open and is going to stink up the house" so I go over and pull the trash bag out of the can to realize that my hubby threw away a whip cream can last night and the spout has ripped through the bag and is spewing whipped cream goo all over the bottom of the trash. *sigh* I abandoned the trash can. After cleaning off the deep freeze so I could get into it I found one package of rabbit chunks labeled 2007. "yummy" thawed and cooked it and threw it in the stew. Now thanks to the baby I'm sick to my tummy from the smell of frying meat and can't eat a thing.
Spent the first part of the afternoon being upset and depressed. So I decided that I would go work on the computer a bit and get some of our finances into the program. For some reason working with numbers or organizing things normally cheers me up. Hubby took a nap then came in about 3 and was mad at me because I was ignoring him...???! After explaining to hubby that I wasn't purposely ignoring him and cuddling for awhile I now get to decided what we are having for supper and I don't even WANT to set foot in the darned kitchen again at the moment!

I'm pretty sure most of my problem right now is simply a combination of hormones and stress but I feel so lost and helpless and there's so much that needs to be done: barn, finances updated, baby got ready for, laundry, dishes, food figured out, Christmas (yes, unfortunately this year it feels like a chore), presents wrapped still, presents mailed, goat breedings figured out, Lillys old bed sold, Vet tech assoc dues paid, bills paid, remind hubby to fill out unemployment paperwork, dr. visits, the list goes on and on, and while I'm at it..."can I pick up the nephews at the bus stop"

I wanted to be a bigger part of their lives and have a part on the ranch but now is just NOT good timing! AGGG!
Okay enough whining...I hope everyone is having a merry christmas! (yes I really mean that) and I will try and post pics of the new barn soon and stop moaning about all my lifes problems...
Tommorrows agenda....???? attempt to find energy??

What you can help me with :
Baby names suggestions??
Big smiles and hugs ;)
other than that, probably not much lol

Terminally idiotic....

2009-12-03T22:59:00.002-07:00

That's the new term for my sister in law...

Apparently getting out and being with her family is not enough for her. She had one condition that she was given when she was let out and that was to not go anywhere near the other person involved in the incident.

She was arrested again today, her hubby has to deal with the children by himself again and the kids wont have mommy home for the holidays all because she didn't learn anything the first two weeks in jail! AHHHHHHH!

I'm trying to relax here but it isn't easy. Already tonight we had to go to the MIL's for dinner so that we could take one of the boys my graphing calculator for his homework. I feel like everything is upside down again and I just want to crawl in a dark closet and hide for about 3 days. *sigh* Maybe things will look better in the morning.

Tommorrow after taking care of the animals and the usual stuff Hubby gets to take his brother to wheatland to get BIL's truck fixed. BIL can't lift the ramps to get the truck on and off the trailer by himself so Hubby gets to now that SIL won't be there. Hubby asked me if I want to go, I haven't decided yet. I may ask him if he'd take Lilly and give me a day to myself. Really dont know what I'd do with a day alone though, probably work on budget stuff. I haven't had a chance to keep up with all of our account activity and currently our computerized finances are sitting in June.

I'm headed to bed now. Maybe I'll decorate for Xmas tommorrow if I can get the totes down. I'm really having problems getting into the spirit this year though...

The family I married into....

2009-11-30T13:03:00.002-07:00

Did you ever get the feeling that the man you married might not be worth putting up with the inlaws??

I'm not going to tell the full story but the beginning two weeks of november was spent taking care of my brother-in-laws family. On the 4th my sister-in-law got arrested on some pretty serious charges. My brother-in-law had just had back surgery a week before. That left one dad who all of a sudden was single and wasn't supposed to lift a glass of water to take care of their three boys.

Dean the oldest (15) was angry (to say the least) and immediately refused to go back to school.
Lee the middle boy (11) was quiet and recluse (he is normally anyways) and very confused
and Ty (7) immediately went to bat for his mom and started the "she's a wonderful mom" stuff

Well Dean and Ty don't get along the best under the greatest of circumstances so imagine the battles over this with Ty defending and Dean mad as heck. Yeah...it was fun...

My mother-in-law took up "grandma post" and the boys and Rick (B-I-L) spent the first 5 nights at grandmas and didn't go home. Grandma fetched homework, cooked meals, tried to keep them fed and "happy", while trying to understand the whole thing herself and help them deal with this. To add to the mess grandma's house was getting a new roof and the dishwasher bit the dust.

Me on the other hand spent some time helping grandma cook, getting the homework done, and at Rick's request cleaning and organizing his home so that he could find things to take care of the boys.

Basically everyone's lives went on hold to help them deal with this. The boys slowly adjusted just in time for "mom" to be suddenly released Two weeks to the day that she was arrested. None of us are sure why the judge released her. We speculate that since our jail here is terribly overcrowded he needed someone to release so that they had more room and with the family here she isn't a flight risk.

So the SIL got out just in time for me to have my life back for a few days before thanksgiving. One day was spent desperately cleaning our house which hadn't been touched in that two weeks. The next few were spent getting the animals back up to par, building rafters for the goat barn, and helping my hubby figure out how to put in our new windows. Then on Wednesday Lilly and I went to grandmas house to help make desserts for thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving day was spent as one big happy family (in a manner of speaking). Friday we spent most of the time at grandmas too to help with leftovers, Saturday we took a drive and a picnic lunch to the mountains as one happy family (MIL's idea), Sunday we wnt to church then to grandmas for more leftovers since our kitchen was torn apart for putting in windows. Sunday afternoon I crashed and barely did anything.

That leaves today where I'm breathing a deep sigh of relief and exhaustion as I study the mountains of laundry waiting for me as well as everything dumped here and there. Also trying to catch up on thank you cards for the wonderful guys from the church who helped us put up our barn. Not to mention trying desperately to organize December's schedule which has gotten unbelieveably full since we have had the last two weeks with access to the Boy's schedules and all of their christmas, singing, band, and programs.

Other than the boy's schedules we also have a pesticide meeting this month (for my hubby to keep his pesticides liscense), his work party, Church caroling, Need to take the last goat to Cheyenne to be bred, need to figure out if one of the already "bred" girls is in heat or not, need to figure out the date that the baby bunnies will be due (if she's actually preg this time!), not to mention the monthly preg exam and chiropracter.
One of these months I'd like to get Lilly involved in Gymnastics and the reading time at the library. Also have my mothers of prescoohlers meetings as well.

The SIL has a hearing for entering her "plea" on the 15th and we are assuming she will remain "free" for awhile. Depending on when the trial actually is she may (probably) be looking at jail time. In which case our lives will likely go upside down again. She normally helps during calving and haying seasons. If they are speedy enough that she is back in jail by the end of Feb this may be the most stressful year we've ever had. She won't be here to help, Rick will still have to be careful of his back, I have four goats due as well as me, Lilly turns two in Feb., grandma and grandpa cant do calving all by themselves and that leaves just my hubby. We expect Tim to be laid off still at that time of year but with him needed that desperately for calving we may not get a choice on him working (which if he isn't "available" will cancel the unemployment payments).

Please pray for us as we struggle. I will try to keep you updated as frequently as possible. Right now we are fighting the daily weather and praying the warm streak holds so that we can finish the goat's barn, get all the windows in our house, get an xmas tree, and still be able to keep our minds.

Blessing

2009-10-23T12:31:00.000-06:00

Blessing's story is a short one. She comes from the same breeder as Sue and is a purebred Saanen. She is a half sister of Sue out of the same Buck and is approximately the same age. She however, unlike Sue was bred last spring and spent the summer on the mountain with her kids. She was not milked however. This year will be her second freshning but first milking. The breeder is looking to sell her since she is slightly skittish after being on the mountain (even though she was calm and tame before going up) and also she was accidently bred. The bucks apparently broke out of their pen and since the Boer buck is the dominant one the breeder is fairly sure that she's been bred to him. There is still a chance however that he was otherwise occupied and that it was Blessing's father that bred her.

Since I am enjoying Sue so much and want to expand my Saanen herd I have agreed to buy her and will pick her up as soon as the goat's new barn is finished (Hopefully by next week). She will have an unknown due date in late Jan/ early feb. So we will have kids and milk earlier than expected but I will be able to start training her before I am occupied with my own baby (in theory). The kids will of course be sold. Saanens (even grade without papers) and Saanen crosses can often be sold as pack animals since they are one of the strongest goat breeds. Hopefully the kids will get homes as pack animals or pets. If not they will probably end up going to the meat plant later next year. I have already had some interest in my Saanen kids this year from the guy who bought Buddy.

Rachel

2009-10-22T11:43:00.002-06:00

Well it's been an interesting time with the goats this fall.

Since the hailstorm we had here in july our feed supplies have been short this year. So all the does got packed up and shipped to the mother-in-laws house. The problem is that at her house there is no fences strong enough to keep the goats in. Well if horses can be picketed why can't goats? Earlier in the summer we had taken them up there for a few weeks as well and had used a dog trolley, and some dog cables and stakes to picket them out. The cables were set up at enough distance apart to allow them to touch noses and be near each other without allowing them to become tangled. This time when we brought them down the MIL wanted them put in the corral to eat the brown weeds. Unlike the first there were no trees to cable them to. I only had one stake still (the other had been bent beyond repair) so I staked Sue out on the north side of the corral. I then pounded a steel T-post in as a temporary solution and chained Ellie to it. I then clipped Rachels and Fantines cables to the fence on the south side of the corral. We did this for several days. Every night I would go and "collect" them and put them in the barn there for the night.

Some background on Ellie...she is a fraidy cat through and through. She was raised and spent her first two years on one farm. Supposedly she went to shows and was shown some. The day I brought her home she cried the entire way here, then freaked and jumped/climbed the four foot fence that she had been in to get loose. Everytime she goes anywhere that is "new" she freaks. This includes being put from the garden where the goats were staying this spring into their pasture here (a distance of less than 100 yards). She spent the entire week after that "move" bellering and pacing. So needless to say she didn't take the "move" to MIL's easily.

The first few days that they were staked out Ellie was wrapped around the fence post every night. If she had paced the other way she would have unwound herself. I got tired of unwinding her day after day since it was obvious she wasn't getting much to eat that way. So I decided to switch her and Rachel one day. After all, Rachel was clipped to the fence and Ellie couldn't wrap herself around a straight fence. Unfortunately I neglected to check the lengths of the tie out lines in the short space of the corral and the distance I had chained Rachels and Ellies lines was a good deal closer than a nose reach. I came to put them away that night and found Ellie's and Rachel's cables wrapped around Rachel. Sadly, she didn't make it.

After taking care of Rachel I did some major thinking. First: If Fantine, Sue, and Blessing (story later) turn out to be good milkers (this is their first freshning for all) Ellie will be sold this year.
Second: I love Sue's calm disposition and adaptability much better (even though it comes with a mischevious curiousity) then the Nubians worried attitudes (although friendly and less aloof). Fantine will stay (as she appears to be somewhat adaptable to new pastures and continues eating calmly) and I will probably always own one/two Nubian/s but the focus of my herd is shifting to Saanens.

In other news: Ellie has been prancing around here for the last month and a half with her tail wagging and acting excited while Sue has continured eating calmly. I discovered that without a buck here it is difficult for me to tell when they are in heat. So I got a "buck rag" rubbed with buck scent since that supposedly works to help tell when they are in heat. Ellies response: "Neat toy! I'll take it and run every time!" Sue's response:"hmm a rag in a jar...so what..?"
Day after day it was the same story. So...when we had a snowstorm on the 10th and Ellie started really waving her tail and even Sue's tail was being held up I decided I might as well try it and loaded them up.
Two hours down to Cheyenne to the Mega-milkers herd for breeding and we get there and of course they show no response to the buck whatsoever. Talking with the herd owner Karen revealed though that rather than hauling them back and forth 20 times whenever I thought they might be in heat I could leave them there. Karen would board them for $1 a day plus feed and would walk the buck by them every day until they came into heat then would put them in with the man of my choice ;). Karen called me yesterday with news...Sue was in heat and being bred. YEAH! One down...due date March 20th, Saanen kids here we come! Today I get another call, Ellie came into heat and was in with "Touch". Fantastic! My two older does are both due a day apart! Now I just get to head down and pick them up and watch for signs of heat in about 18 days. I'm slightly dissapointed since neither was bred to the buck's I originally was hoping to have them bred too but at least they are both bred to good bucks that should produce wonderful kids. Ellie's "man" was out on breeding loan today and Sue's "man" died of old age this summer.

That just leaves Fantine to breed. Since she was born in April she won't be ready until at least next month. Wish me luck trying to figure out when she's in heat.

Computers stink!

2009-09-29T10:58:00.002-06:00

Sorry for my long absence. I used to be able to go through and use my firefox screen and visit everything that I normally visited quickly and easily and Skipper would remember all the usernames and passwords for me. Well....for some reason my firefox has taken a dump and Im stuck with internet explorer. It knows none of my sites, I have no bookmarks anymore, and none of my passwords or usernames. It has been a daily challenge to try and remember them all. Hopefully I can get it fixed and up and running again soon. In the meantime I dont know how much I'll be able to make it on here. Everything takes me twice as long to look at because exploder is soooo slow on this computer and I have to type in usernames and passwords as well.

I apologize in advance for not reading your blogs as much as I should. It isn't that I don't love ya or want to know what's going on in your lives.

Apples, Apples, more free stuff

2009-09-03T16:38:00.002-06:00

Sorry I've been "away". My hubby found a post on craigslist one night about a week ago for free aluminum cans here. So I took the truck and headed to the given address the next day. We filled the truck full of aluminum cans and took it to the junkyard to cash in. :) Lilly made $23 free dollars for her savings account.

In the process of loading the cans into the truck it was mentioned that the mans sister was moving and they are cleaning out the house to sell it. I had noticed the crabapple tree out front loaded with apples so bad that the branches touched the ground. I asked what would happen to all the apples. I got told he had no idea but they had to go and I was welcome to them.

Since then I've gone several more times to their house, picked for two hours on that tree (got halfway around it and quit) we now have about 12 gallons of crabapples here being processed in various ways (post later). I also got told to take some wire home, some plexiglass, the entire back porch (we disassebled it last night will haul it home tom.), and misc. other things.

They had a garage sale last weekend that I got a sneak peek at and came home with a pressure canner ($5!) and 2 boxes of jars ($1), Bags and bags of potting soil ($.25 ea), a toy chest and a lawnmower! The garage sale last weekend was to sell the stuff in the lady's garage. When I went to get the cans it was floor to ceiling boxes in the garage. They cleaned the house this last week and are having another sale this weekend.

The start of an obsession and happy endings

2009-08-21T09:19:00.003-06:00

What happens when a gal with a big love of animals visits a dairy and discovers that a cute little goat kid will be killed and sent to a zoo for feed just because he was born the wrong sex? She decides that since she wanted to start a dairy herd of her own anyways the little buck can come home with her and be the start of her herd. (Yes she knows she can't save them all and that something has to be done with little bucks)

His first months at "home"

Standing in front of his house

This being my first goat I had no idea what I was getting myself into. For starters I quickly learned why they say to always get goats in pairs. All day he cried when I wasn't with him. I also quickly went on a search for general goat knowledge and discovered that for a small dairy herd like I intended that a buck was simply overdoing it a bit. The cost of feeding a buck is higher, you have to have separate places to put him away from the does if you want to know the due date, and to top it all off they reek! After discovering this my little buck quickly got wethered (fixed). The search began for a new job for him. In the meantime the search also continued for a companion for him. Early on in the search for a companion I discovered that he'd been born at the wrong time of the year. Being an October baby meant that there were no other kids to be found and that the only adults for sale tended to be expensive.

Reading on his breed, Saanens, I discovered that they had been long prized as pack animals since that breed tends to be one of the strongest goat breeds. Points for "buddy"! The training began. He learned to come when called, walk on a leash, and to accept being touched all over. As the months went on reality hit and it was discovered that despite his training and the time spent with him then he was still miserable. No companion could be found. So I decided the best thing for him would be to find him a good home with goats elsewhere.

I posted him on a site I'd found about packgoats and within a week a very excited man in Montana contacted me. His goat had lost his companion due to old age recently and he'd been searching in vain for another pack goat. After many emails and phone calls it was arranged that a business friend of his would pick Buddy up in Casper, pay us, and transport him to Cody. Then Bill (his new owner) would pick him up from there and transport him home. His journey began anew with me saying goodbye.

You always wonder what happens to animals you have to part with and if they truly do have a good home. I'm thrilled to say that I know Buddy does. He's grown into a very handsome goat and gets to hang out with his friend all day and go on trips into the mountains and on regular hikes. I couldn't have wished for a happier ending for my beginning of an obsession.

This is a trip they took just this month (Buddy will be 1 in October)

Things I love about my daughter #13

2009-08-18T11:06:00.003-06:00

She makes me laugh behind my hands when I know I should be scolding her.

Permanent marker *sigh* I'll bet this outfit is ruined.

The holiday baby...

2009-08-14T16:41:00.003-06:00

I'm getting a valentines present! I'm getting a valentines present!

Here's the official announcement! I'm pregnant! Yahooo!! Okay I waited awhile to tell you all but I've been a tad busy with other things.

So....

Is it a boy or girl???? What should we name it?? I'm so very excited!

This cute little bar that tells about the baby will be hanging out at the bottom of my blog for those that are interested!

Bank picnic

2009-07-27T19:29:00.003-06:00

One of the things I love about living here is that every year the Converse County bank hosts a fabulous summer fun picnic in the park. They have hot dogs galore (some years they've even had brats and hamburgers), tons of drinks, tons of bags of chips, and tons of fun.

We started with dinner (something you did from the years they had brats, the brats were always gone by the end of the night)
Lilly had a hot dog and some white cheddar popcorn

Then we had ice cream sandwiches.

Then we were messy so we cleaned up a bit.

Then we wandered over to the balloons and got a balloon and since there wasn't much of a line yet for the tattoos or face-painting we stood in line for those. Lilly got a tattoo of a butterfly on her arm.

And a ladybug on her cheek, which took all of two seconds to smear.

Then we decided to check out the bouncy's. We thought she might be too young for some of them but that she could do others and would enjoy it. Boy were we wrong!

But watching the others play was a good opportunity for making friends.

Then with daddy along to reassure and help Lilly tackled the obstacle course.

She wasn't doing too bad by the end. she says the bouncy things still aren't her thing.

Then we watched all the kids zipping down the slide and she wanted to try it. so her and daddy climbed the slide and slid down! She enjoyed the climbing but didn't think much of it when it was her on the slide coming down. Maybe next year she'll enjoy these more. There were kids barely taller then her making their way up the rock climbing blowup. I have hope for her for next time.

Entertainment was provided in the form of some gymnastics and a dance by the local gymnastics girls team.

They also did handstands.

Then we had to get snowcones! This was the one thing she thoroughly enjoyed last year. She enjoyed it no less this time.

Down to every last slurp!

Then since we'd found uncle Rick we all walked back to get more food and she got to swing a bit between their arms

She got Cheetohs this time! and double fisted it!

Then we enjoyed some of the live music provided by the local band and danced till the sun went down! (If I can figure out how to do a video on here I'll put a dancing one on.)

And we're all looking forward to a wonderful time and tons more fun and food next year!

I'm a little fruity!

2009-07-23T16:43:00.002-06:00

Well we all knew I'd lose it someday. What happens when a woman buys a few fruits to try out her "new" old dehydrator that she just inherited from grandma and the husband says "I'll take your dried fruit to work with me." ?

Lemon (citrus didn't work well), honeydew, cantaloupe, plums, cherries

After giving him a dirty look and "politely" explaining that he can take fresh fruit while it is in season she decides that since fruit is in season and on sale and since hubby obviously doesn't have a problem with dried fruit that she is going to buy some and dry it for winter. Yummy snacks, topping for oatmeal, cereals, ice cream and so many other things. hmmm

So she goes to the store, and what does she see?? Fruit! And lots of it! And all sorts that she loves! soooo.....

She buys the fruit and gets it home

She vaguely wonders if she might have gone a tad bit overboard but hey this is fun right?

She sets her apricots that she canned last night off to the side.

Places her azure order up out of the way (ordered with Michaela and Millie)

And begins. The blueberies and cantaloupe make it into the first dehydrator (got at a garage sale when I mistakenly thought the trays would fit into grandmas)

Some nectarines, peaches, and cherries make it into grandmas and the rest of the fruit is all sorted through for firmness and ripeness. New batch tomorrow hopefully!

Slaughtering chickens

2009-07-20T17:26:00.003-06:00

Warning! Contains graphic photos!

Well I talked my friend Millie and her family into coming down and helping me process my chickens. neither of us had done this before.

I had caught the four chickens the night before and had them locked in a pen. Millie's hubby Joe was wonderful and wrung all of their necks for us. Then we took the four down by the BBQ grill and got the scalding pot ready.

The chickens waited patiently

Then I scalded the chickens while Millie and Joe started plucking.

Here are the chickens waiting to be gutted (Joe did the gutting!)

And here they are after gutting and having their feet removed

And here is one of mine all cut up and in bags

Corrals

2009-07-13T10:31:00.004-06:00

The water pretty much took out enough of the corrals that we will have to rebuild most of it.
The quick paint map I made below has the barn in blue, where corral fences are/were in black and red lines where they've been wiped out.

First fence (far right of map)

Next fence in (second to right on map)

Third fence (third from right on map)

Corner by the upper Corral

Fence to the left of the barn

Other end of the fence on that side

Fence along the tires

Barn flooded

One more along the road

Flash flood

2009-07-13T06:09:00.006-06:00

It was a hail storm, electric storm, and torrents of water all in one. We had about 2 inches of rain, golf ball sized hail, and lightning strikes all within 1 hour. And the wind, can't forget the Wyoming wind...

You've heard the statement that things will look better in the morning?? They do and they don't! lol There is quite a bit of damage and most things are gone. I have no garden, no sunflowers, the peonies and rhubarb that we planted 3 days ago are gone. I don't know if my lilacs, plum, or cottonwoods will survive. There is no point in planting the willows that I had. We lost the six chicks, the rest seem to be doing okay. There is a few leaves left on two of the cottonwoods and we will see how they do. The evergreen saplings look slightly rougher but are all in great shape considering. Other than the 6 chicks we didn't lose any of the other animals so far. They were all soaked to the bone last night and it remains to be seen if any will have lasting effects but they are all alive this morning. Other than the rabbit that was in the flipped hutch the others managed to stay dry and safe. The chickens, turkeys, dogs, and goats were all soaked.

At one point during the storm the back door blew open and Tim's dog Sarah came rushing in drenched. I have no idea why she wasn't in her dog house! She has one! At another point I was in the living room and Lilly started crying in the kitchen less than 20 feet away and I couldn't hear her over the storm. To top the fun off yesterday was Tim's birthday and I threw a party for him. We had 7 extra people here when it hit. There were points last night we weren't sure that they were going to be going home that night.

The ranch got it worse. I have no idea how the cows are doing but the corral at MIL's house is gone. I haven't been down there to see yet I was waiting for Lilly to wake up. I did get up this morning however and take a drive down the road in both directions from our house and we also took a drive after company left last night although it was almost dark.

Hail flows in our back yard last night

Is there a pot of gold?? I think we need one.

Our back yard

Irrigation ditch behind our house and along the road last night

irrigation ditch this morning

what's left of my plum tree

The willows that were to be planted

The cat that hunts and got caught in it vs. the lazy cat (this is the muddiest I've ever seen this cat and he is nuts about staying clean!)

Waterfall on the road last night (there were idiotic teenagers driving across this!)

That same waterfall by mornings light

the undercut of the road

The creek and fenceline, as you can see by the grass on the posts the water was HIGH!

The brand new culvert by our place that the county just put in.

Ironically the thistle survived...

The irrigation ditch from the hill. You can see where the water level was by all the washed mud

These are drifts of hail covered with mud and grass. My B-I-L has a picture of him standing next to them last night and they reach his waist.

Some of our pasture area...the grass is gone, the cactus survives *grimace*

I will post more later after I have pictures of the corral and some of the damage on the ranch itself.

It's gone...

2009-07-12T22:06:00.002-06:00

It's all gone, there isn't a green thing on our place that has survived...maybe my Lilacs but they're stripped. My plum is stripped of leaves and some bark. There are fences everywhere down. Goats, Cows, Chickens have all gone nuts. 6 of the 90 chicks are gone the others are in the bathtub in the house. The baby girl bunny is back in with her brother since her hutch was rolled and temporarily destroyed. She's muddy, cold, wet but otherwise looks alright. Our cans we were saving for recycling are now on their way to Kansas and the bags lay in shreds. The road is washed out and we have waterfalls. More tomorrow and pictures...*sigh* I don't know why I even try to keep green things alive. I certainly don't have a clue where to start the clean up either. I don't know whether to cry at all we've lost or rejoice at all that's left.

When does 15+1=90??

2009-07-11T15:38:00.002-06:00

When it equals a new feed store screwup or two or three!

I had very bad success (none) with hatching my own eggs with my incubator. After the 25th day I decided they were never going to hatch. So out of 20 eggs I had 3 the had started developing but hadn't finished, 2 almost babys that didn't make it, and a whole lot of rotten eggs! I decided to postpone figuring out where I went wrong and trying again in favor of some chicks in Casper I'd heard about.

I called up the number and found out that they had several hundred pullets (RIR and Red sex-links) and also some roosters. The roos were $.99 a piece and the pullets were $2.69 each. Hmmm not bad...some of the feed stores sell them for a whopping $5 each. So I called up a friend of mine and found out she would be making the trip to Casper the very next day. She agreed to pick up my order. I called the store back and ordered 15 pullets (sex-linked) and 1 barred rock rooster.

The next day my friend calls me and tells me she's back and I can come get my chicks. I show up at her place and...*mistake #1* I have 25 pullets and no rooster!
I really wanted a barred rock roo to replace my current "I have no idea what he is" roo. Friend says "I'm going back on tuesday I'll pick you up a roo then". Okay...

Tuesday the phone rings...*mistake #2* the store ordered 200 chicks for a woman only to have her skip town, they have more chicks then they can handle and know what to do with. He'll make us a great deal on them if we want them and Friend will go in on it with me. Hmm...I talk with the store owner. He says $2 a pullet. I say $1.50. He laughs, "that's below MY cost, split the difference, $1.75." WOOOHOOO my mind yells. I tell Friend I can only afford $50 worth, as I'm digging in the rabbit money (money from selling baby rabbits) She brings home a box of chicks and my barred rock. After putting the chicks away and feeding and watering I look at the reciept and find we've been charged for 40 pullets and 10 roos.

Few days later I notice some of the chicks need their rears cleaned. So I grab a box and a washcloth and head out. After catching every single stinkin chick *sigh* and checking them I shoved them in the box. When I was done I spread new shavings, fed, watered and started counting. *mistake #3* I have 2 barred rock roos not 1 and a total of 90 chicks! The reciepts say we paid for 75! hmmm.... lol

Anyone want chicken???!!!

The house is almost clean!!!

2009-07-02T07:06:00.002-06:00

EEEEkkkk! So now I have a problem. We went out at first and stretched the chicken wire on two sides of the outside pen for the chickens. Although they'll still free range most of the time the ducks need a confined area and it would be nice to lock the chickens up occasionally. Then it started to rain so we came inside. The boys and I spent the entire day getting most of the house clean. The younger one (6) cleaned Lilly's room while 10 and I cleaned the kitchen. The living room was pretty much a matter of hauling the crap out to the shed where it belonged! Then after lunch at about 2 we started on the office. We only have dishes, laundry, and my room left!!! Maybe some "fine tuning" such as dusting, cleaning off the counters, shampooing carpets (yeah right, they aren't going to help with that). What am I going to do with these kids !

The loafer has been having issues with the brand new head not wanting to pick up the hay so it's going slower this year. They aren't even done with the first area yet and moved to the second. *sigh* I love the boys but I don't know what to do with them. 6 Seems forever bored. 10 is perfectly happy giving me a hand in whatever but I don't think he should have to slave his life away. I took them to the pool on Tues. 10 ran around and had a great time, up the stairs down the waterslide, up the stairs, down the slide....

6 however, followed me around all day and got in the water only when Lilly did, which wasn't a whole lot! After 2 hours I asked if he was ready to go since a storm was coming up and the wind was starting to toss things at me (leaves, dirt) I got such an enthusiastic yes that I'm not sure he enjoyed going at all. HMMM :( I wish I knew what he did like to do.

Other than play video games all day that is. I seem to have this thing where I don't think kids need to spend all day in front of the T.V. Apparently that's what they want to do. I also have this thing where I think they need to eat good food. They think they need mac n cheese, hot dogs, and hamburgers. And they don't like my homeade mac n cheese! I'm just a horrible aunt! lol

So... now that I'm done being melodramatic...what do boys those ages like to do??!!! At home they run around shooting each other with their nerf guns, we don't have any here.
They also have a pool, and a tramp, and a swingset. (we don't) *sigh* I'm afraid my place is adequate for a 16 month old but may not be for the boys.

Suggestions??

Haying

2009-07-01T07:20:00.002-06:00

We are cutting the first cutting of hay this week. This means that mom-in-law supervises the oldest nephew (learning to drive the swather), their mother drives the loafer, father-in-law drives the other loafer, the two "boys" (our hubby's) work at the jobs that make money, and I get to watch the two younger nephews! Hence the reason I've been a tad absent lately. We went to the pool yesterday. Today they get to help me clean :)

Have fun all, I'll be back soon!

High Occupancy vehicle

2009-06-16T09:02:00.003-06:00

So we're driving to Cheyenne yesterday on I-25 and my hubby looks over at a spot where a highway runs parallel to the interstate and says, "that must be Wyoming's version of a high occupancy vehicle! "

Things I love about my cat #12

2009-06-14T15:00:00.002-06:00

She knows how to get away from my daughter!

I hate SSSSSSSSnakes!

2009-06-13T13:44:00.001-06:00

I was out stringing electric wire on our new fence when I take a step and the ground moves! EEEKKK! I hate when the ground slithers out form under you! Since the snake hadn't rattled I didn't believe it was a rattlesnake but wanted to make sure so that I could kill it if it was. So I followed it. Well about the time I decide that I have no idea what it is but it's harmless and I'm going to leave it alone here comes Boots! Rather than let the cat beat up on the thing forever I scooped it into a bucket and took it in the house for a bit. (watched very closely)

Hubby killed it when he got home. We decided that even if it was harmless there was no point in returning the snake to where he would just make food for the harmful ones. That and I HATE snakes! UGGGGG!

I think he was a garter.

We made cookies!

2009-06-12T15:26:00.004-06:00

When I was single and had tons of time to do things for my animals I bought packages of treat mix for the animals. There were three of them, one for the puppies, one for the kitties, and one for horses.
As you can tell by the dust they'd been sitting around for awhile. I guess they were just waiting for a rainy day (or a rainy week!)

Lilly and I decided we were going to make some! I set out all three packages and she pointed to the first one! Horses! (or goat treats as the case may be)
We poured the ingredients into a bowl and she helped me mix with the spoon. The batter soon became difficult to mix with the spoon though and I didn't feel like cleaning a ton of batter off her. So mommy finished mixing it and rolled it out. Now the fun part is that the bags of mix each comes with their own cutter.
So Lilly cut out the heart shaped goat treats

And moved them up and onto the cookie sheet with help

Then we baked the sheet of treats and choose, mixed, and cut a second bag (Doggy)

The goats say they love them! The dogs aren't so sure yet. lol we have kitty treats left to go!
The dog mix ingredients are: Whole wheat flour, wheat germ, garlic powder, and beef bouillon
the horse (goats) mix is: Flour, Oatmeal, molasses, brown sugar, bran

Yummy! (well not for us! lol)

Things I love about my daughter #11

2009-06-12T15:13:00.000-06:00

She knows to behave for great-grandpa

Things I love about my daughter #10

2009-06-10T15:13:00.001-06:00

She gives hugs now, even behind your back!

Tagged!

2009-06-09T07:40:00.000-06:00

I got tagged by Jennifer

Here are the rules: Respond & Rework. Answer questions on your own blog. Replace one question. Add one question. Then, tag 8 people.

1. What are your current obsessions?
Trying to get this blasted farm set up! I don't understand why the bird houses, pighouse, and fences don't build themselves! It would be so much easier! Not to mention the garden plot that has clay for soil.

2. Who would you most like to have dinner with?
As selfish as it sounds, my hubby with my daughter not around.

3. Last dream you had?
I had dreams last night about my goats eating my newly planted tomato and pepper plants.

4. Last thing you bought?
Incubator! More baby chickies!

5. What are you listening to?
My daughter pulling all the books off the shelves and the local country station

6. If you were a god/goddess, who would you be?
Ummm, not sure about that one. I'm not so sure that I would want to be a goddess.

7. Favorite holiday spots?
Yellowstone was always one of my grandparents favorites and has become one of mine as well. Also Fort Robinson

8. Reading right now?
Jane lindskold, Through wolf's Eyes series. I own it and had a craving to read it again.

9. What is your favorite way to relax?
Hot bubble bath, candles, and a good book

10. Guilty pleasure?
Facebook games! Shhh Don't tell my hubby I play them all day ;) (Okay not all day but I check in with them every couple hours)

11. Who or what makes you laugh until you're weak?
Sometimes my daughter, like her washing the floor. I have no idea where she comes up with some of the stuff she does.

12. Favorite spring thing to do?
Smell the flowers and the rain (love rain, hate snow)

13. Planning to travel to next?
This fall (early) we're hoping to go to Yellowstone again since only one goat is in milk this year

14. Best thing you ate or drank lately?
HMM, my eggs from my chickens!

15. When did you last get tipsy?
Define tipsy....I had a couple drinks on my bday (the 5th) but haven't got drunk in years

16. Favorite ever film?
Spirit stallion of the Cimmeron, Mulan, Chronicles of Narnia, Pirates of the Caribbean, ....

17. Care to share some wisdom?
be flexible! lol

18. What item could you not live without?
Item?? hmm...maybe my ceramic plates my grandma painted (Post in future)

19. Thing you are looking forward to?
My farm being "finished" all the animal houses done, windbreaks in place, garden plantable, etc .

20. What's your favorite smell?
Rain, Lilacs, sweat, dirt (definetly not buck goats :P)

21. What food makes you heave?
ESCARGO! No child should be forced to try them in fourth grade! Why would anyone want to eat snails anyways??

22. Favorite childhood story book?
First one I can really remember is the BFG. But I'm sure theirs a ton that were "favorites"

23. Favorite foods?
ITALIAN! WOOHOOO (very hard to do all natural and traditional though :( )

Tag your it!
1. Christy
2. Claire
3. Lilly Sue
4. Millie
5. Michaela
6. Fullfreezer
7. Jennifer
8. Peggy

For those of you nto chosen...I still love your blogs and feel free to do the exercise!

Our visitors....

2009-06-08T13:46:00.000-06:00

A few Monday's ago (memorial Day) we got together with Millie and her family and decided that since neither family had much to do for the holidays we should meet.

She came with her two daughters, baby son, and husband. As they are setting up here in Wyo. after moving from Cali. they were interested in my cathouse for thier cats and my set up :)

We walked around the farm and talked. Her girls adored the baby bunnies (even though they got pee-d on). Her son, flirted with Lilly all night as she did him.

We had dinner and talked some more. After a wonderful evening they returned home and we went to bed happy and exhausted.

Their baby had forgotten his jacket so we also got to check out their place a few days afterwards.

Anyways to make a long story short, you can read all about their adventures living out of a trailer in Wyo (previously Cali) while they wait for their house.

Things I love about my daughter #9

2009-06-06T15:11:00.000-06:00

She's still young enough to flirt with strangers and get away with it!

Things I love about my daughter #8

2009-06-04T15:00:00.001-06:00

She knows how to play well with her cousins

Baby bunnies and new bunnies

2009-06-03T15:00:00.001-06:00

On thursday we were blessed with the arrival of 10 new baby bunnies! Unfortunately one was born dead and 2 were born very small and lived only a few days. We do have 7 healthy happy kits left though!

Dad's "half"

Mom's "half"

Due to the number of requests I recieved when selling the last litter of bunnies for lops we decided to raise lops for profit. Sooo....

We also purchased two new babies! The first is a Holland Lop female "Flopsy"

The second is a Miniature Lop Male "Cottontail"

I will now need to build another rabbit hutch ;)

Playsets

2009-06-02T18:00:00.001-06:00

On Saturday the 16th we started the day in Denver. After picking up my parents, having lunch at Cosa Bonitas, and some shopping we started home. We picked up one of the two rabbits then headed to Greeley. My mother had found a little tikes playset for sale on craigslist and we had made arrangements to pick it up and purchase it. We arrived in Greeley to find the lady wasn't home, despite her saying she would be. We called her and found that she had gone to a BBQ and that if we were sure we wanted it (we were sure just from the picture of it) that she could come back but it would take her a half hour. We asked if we could start disassembling it before she got there. We were told that she supposed so although it shouldn't take long. Well, we pulled some of the pieces off and then found screws in others. We were using my moms fingernail clippers to unscrew them when the neighbors soon to be daughter-in-law showed up with her boy. After giving us disgusted looks for being in the backyard and taking the play equipment down she went in the house. Soon after her fiance (the neighbors son) showed up and let us borrow a screwdriver. About an hour and 15 min. after we'd talked to her on the phone the lady showed up. We were still attempting to disassemble the playset. We started talking to her and found out that she was concerned about the little boy hurting himself on her property. The mother apparently doesn't watch him and just lets him invite himself over to the neighbors to play. Since her daughter had outgrown it anyways she had decided to sell it. She also wanted to sell a play car. We decided to take that too.

We ended up with the back end full of a playpen (I'd bought on the way down used), the suitcases, the playset, the small travel carrier for the rabbit (ended up on my moms lap), and of course all of us (mom, dad, Lilly, Me, and hubby). Since we ran out of room inside we started stacking things on top of the Denali. My hubby rolled his eyes when we added the car. Pretty soon we (mom, Lilly, and I) were sitting on the ladys front step having drinks of water while the guys puzzled over how to get it all home.

As we're sitting there and laughing and talking the lady happens to mention that the spring horse needs to go as well. HMMMM...
after much arguing, pleading, and begging the horse got loaded as well.
This is what the vehicle looked like:

We decided to swing in for supper at Hardees (Carl's Jr.) when we left there. My husband says "we don't have the clearance to get through the drive thru." We give him a funny look but pull over and send the guys in for food. They come back out in a minute and inform us that the store doesn't have what we wanted. My dad walks to the drivethru and declares that we do indeed have the clearance. Mom and I grin at each other. We make our order and pull up to the window. The drivethru person turns to ask for the money and their jaw drops open as they stare. Inside peals of chuckles, snorts, and laughter start rolling from the other employees. We collect our food and head towards Cheyenne. We discover that we have accidently purchased an extra sandwich. Hubby announces that the horse needed nutrition for his long run home. That sends us into laughter.

Passing through one of the small towns between Greeley and Cheyenne we slow down for the speed limit change and parked on the side of the road is two patrol vehicles and the officers are standing outside their vehicles and talking. One jabs the other and points towards us. We grin and wave wildly as they also dissolve into laughter.

To shorten the story a bit we got laughed at all the way home. However, everything made it and here is Lilly's new set up!

Playset set up

Car

Things I love about my daughter #7

2009-06-02T15:00:00.000-06:00

She tries hard to fill mommy's shoes

Things I love about my daughter #6

2009-05-31T15:00:00.000-06:00

She stole MY jawbreaker when I wasn't looking!

things I love about my daughter #5

2009-05-29T15:00:00.001-06:00

She delights in boxes of any kind

Laying Hens and a new name

2009-05-28T13:53:00.007-06:00

I've been trying so hard to come up with a better name for quite a while now and my brother just handed it right to me this weekend. What do you guys think?

Well, These are my new laying hens. We went on Sun the 17th and picked them up from an excoworker of Tim's. We came home with 19 hens and a rooster. I do need some help with some of the breeds though.

We have of course, the basic Plymouth rocks and RIR's

Then we have this unknown breed. They're about the same size as the Plymouths, all black with black feathering on their legs and a greenish sheen to the feathers.

Buff cochrins??

We also have this unknown breed. Slightly smaller than the feather legs but with the same black with green sheen to them. These also have a cream flecked look around their necks and no feathers on the legs

The white one I'm assuming is a leghorn and I think she's responsible for the two white eggs I've received (all other eggs have been shades of creamy brown to dark brown)

This is my poor feather pecked rooster (he was bottom dog at the old place) I don't have any idea what breed he is either. Also...does anyone have any thoughts on wether I should keep him or get rid of him since I don't know how closely related he is to the hens? (I will be incubating eggs and replacing hens since I don't know their age)

I also have one smaller black one that has the greenish sheen to her black, no feathers on the legs, but also has white spots on her. She's in the top picture bottom left corner by the feeder. ?????

Egg count :
Day 1 - evening only - 2 eggs
Day 2 - 7
Day 3 - 8
Day 4 - 8
Day 5 - 5
Day 6 - 7 - one broke
Day 7 - 9
Day 8 - 7
Day 9 - 4
Day 10 - 9
Day 11 - Today 2 out there already (one broke again)

busy week

2009-05-24T21:43:00.004-06:00

"Quick update version"

*sigh* This last week has been exhausting. We drove down to Denver on friday night (the 15th) and stayed at our favorite hotel there (rennisaince) We arrived at 11 pm that night since we had to feed animals and set up the milking stuff for the next morning before we could leave. I talked one of the ladies here in town (patty) into milking Ellie for me on Saturday morning. Bright and Early saturday morning we awoke at the hotel and after a delicious breakfast walked across the street to the walmart to go shopping. We had hurridly packed everything friday night and had forgotten our suitcase on our bed. So we bought a few essentials (tooth paste, toothbrushes, combs, swimsuits) and headed back to the hotel. We changed into our new suits and headed down in the glass elevator (Lilly hated it) to the pool. We dipped our toes in the pool and decided to forget the pool and use the lukewarm (hot)tub. After a refreshing dip we headed to the airport to pick up my parents and it was non stop from there on out. The rest of Saturday was spent shopping and picking up craigslist items. I got new pants! I've lost so much weight in the past three months that my old pants I could pull straight off without unbuttoning and had to have a belt to hold them up. (this last week I gained about 10 back. *sigh* temporary setback, my new pants still fit though) I also got two new rabbits (more about them another post), and Lilly got spoiled to death. Grandma Melody found a little tykes playset for sale on craigslist and we stopped to purchase that. Well, while we were Disassembling it we also found a car to purchase and a spring horse. (pictures later).

Sunday was spent at church and then collecting my new laying hens. (more later ;) )
Monday we ran to Cheyenne for a dr. appt and spent all day shopping there.
Tues-wed was spent frantically cleaning house, building pens and fences (its so very nice that my parents take their vacation to work here)
Thurs. We spent all morning planting trees, bushes, plants, berries, etc. in the afternoon we took off to go to the North platte area of Nebraska. We spent the night at my grandfathers house there.
Friday was spent driving to Omaha to pick up my brother at the airport and then we went to visit at my aunts house in Lincoln before it was back to Omaha for bed.
Saturday - Lazyish morning followed by lunch with aunt, uncle, grandpa, and family
Saturday afternoon - cousins wedding (the reason we are all in Omaha) followed by the biggest fanciest reception I've ever been to. It was quite a party, and I quit before the dancing even started.
Sunday - all day in a car to come home to the wonderful hubby who suffered horribly through milking and feeding for me while I was gone.

I'm exhausted. I'm headed to bed now. Supposed to be a picnic here tommorrow and then maybe I can start catching ya'll up with posts on various aspects of this on tues.

Fencing fencing fencing

2009-05-06T06:47:00.003-06:00

*yawn* okay real quick update. I have a ton of stuff at my house that needs doing, so of course the ranch needed help with fencing *grin* I went out yesterday morning with Lilly in a wagon with toys and hauling it and the tools, all the goats trailing behind as well as the cats and dogs to set some posts in the holes that my hubby had drilled for our fence. I figured I would work on that until Lilly wouldn't be good anymore and then head back in and let her play in the house while I did things in there. About the third post my MIL pulls up in her truck. Of course Lilly sees her and wants to be held and cries now when set down. That ends my post placement. As it turns out she has come to ask if I will help work on the ranch fence. Hmmm I am needed on the ranch....okay, no problem. We made a deal that she will help with our fence if I help with theirs. Again, Okay, no problem. So we went out for the rest of the morning and hiked/drove fence line in the heifer pasture. The ranch has about 7000 acres counting the state lease and all of the fences in the 5-6 separate areas get walked every spring and have general upkeep.
We stopped and had lunch then Lilly went down for a nap so we finished setting the posts that were drilled here and pounded some steel posts in. After that we woke Lilly up and loaded her up again and went back to work on Ranch fence. MIL wants me to help with this for the rest of the next two weeks.

Two sides to this:
On one hand I am outside, with Lilly happily playing in the truck, working in the beautiful spring air and helping out on the ranch for once besides that.

On the other hand I am getting nothing done at the house, need to update our finances badly on the computer before my parents get here and I don't have the time. I also still have to make a list of things I want my dad to do while he's here. My hubby needs bread baked (I think he'll have to go to the store) and the laundry pile is huge!

HMM another wonderful (hopefully) day of hiking outside doing fence. Later everybody!

My new kids

2009-05-03T20:25:00.004-06:00

I have some new arrivals (again)
Meet Fantine (the little one) and Rachel (I officially named her that but decided I don't like it, she'll get a new name after I know her better)

Rachel is very loving and thinks she's a lap goat, She was born on 2/20. Fantine was born the 9th of April and has one concern: food! These two little doelings will be my milk providers along with Ellie and Sue next year. They have some of the top lines around here in them and I'm hoping to breed them to national champion lines this fall. So I should have some high quality kids next spring for sale.

Here is a current picture of Wonder and Marvel. Wonder is officially sold to a lady in Casper for a milking goat and is staying here until the middle of June when she will be weaned. Marvel on the other hand is a pain. He's very spunky and independant. There have been some inquiries on him but no one seems to really want him. There is a lady here that wants to buy him in July as a pet but I'm afraid he'll be too much to handle by then if he isn't worked with and I don't have the time. He did get neutered the other day (I caught him trying to breed Rachel, NAUGHTY) so he got a rush job. (He's only a little over a month old for crying out loud!) I'm praying that he wasn't potent yet and was just practicing or goofing around.

In other news: I joined swap bot and have been busys sending things to other people. So far mainly post cards. I am waiting for a romance book swap though (and very excited to see what I get) and also did an A-Z journal swap. The A-Z journal swap was fun but took awhile and some of the letters were very difficult (x, q, z). There are supposed to be ten things I love under each letter. Here's R for my journal.

things I love about my daughter #4

2009-04-26T09:44:00.004-06:00

She wants to scrub my floor!

things I love about my daughter #3

2009-04-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

#3
She loves Dirt! (as any ranch girl should)

Things I love about my daughter #2

2009-04-24T08:00:00.001-06:00

#2
She loves Crayons

We're surrounded and my scale must be broke

2009-04-23T08:30:00.005-06:00

I walked out the door to go milk this morning, put my hand on the gate of the garden where the goats are kept and discovered that I was surrounded. At first I thought they were the eagles I've been trying to get pics of for months, but when I grabbed my camera and zoomed in I realized they were nothing so nice...

I snapped this picture of these guys (facing north) and turned and there were more! (facing west)

Then I looked up and North

And upward and south

So I decided to stave off any attacks and make an offering of my unfortunate gosling that had died, I went to get the shovel out of the chicken coop. I opened the door to the coop, my mind fully on the vultures and the shovel, and AAHHHHH There's moving things in here! Geez! How dare the chickens jump out at me like that! It's not like you'd expect the chickens to be hanging around in the chicken coop!

In other news, when I finally got around to milking Ellie I discovered that my scale mus be broken. It read that I received five lbs of milk! Hmm. That can't be right...I stressed her out yesterday by taking her kids for walks on leashes (them bellering the entire time) the dogs went too and ran and jumped around the kids, forgot to give her hay until well after feeding time, brushed her on the stand in the evening (which she hates), and also made her be tethered out to eat grass (also something she hates). All this stress and a late milking equals more milk???! Something funny going on here....
Could it be the extra serving of grain to keep her still while she was brushed? Maybe the alfalfa pellets the girls both got as a treat last night for putting up with my tormenting? Could she have been too busy watching me to feed her kids this morning?? Or maybe it was that her kids are so nervous around me now after their lesson yesterday that they bellered the entire time she was being milked??
I took the milk to the house and ran it through the filter...Oh my! It really is five pounds! Over half a gallon this morning! I wonder what the kids are going to have for breakfast?? Hay??

Memo to me: Next year we are bottle feeding and having nice calm babies that don't freak out when learning to lead because they aren't attached to mommy's hip.

Things I love about my Daughter #1

2009-04-23T08:12:00.005-06:00

Well as some of you (Claire) may know from facebook I had a heck of a day with Lilly yesterday, the result being that we both went to bed frustrated with each other, unhappy, and exhausted. Therefore, I decided to do a series of posts to help remind me why I adore my daughter so...

Here's #1
She loves Peppermint sticks

Cookies' gone and buck search

2009-04-20T12:00:00.001-06:00

I have been trying for quite awhile now to find Cookie a new home. She left on friday. After purchasing Cookie from a lady here in town I got to know her and decided that the little goats just weren't for me. I prefer the larger breeds and decided that cookie would find a new home again. I posted her first for $75 (she's a 7 month old Nigerian doeling) No takers.

Reposted two weeks later for $60, got one request to send pics but no takers.

Was taking to the lady I bought her from about two weeks later and she said she would buy her back for what I paid for her ($40) but then she wouldn't be able to purchase Marvel from me (my buckling). Hmmm Cookie or Marvel....I kept Marvel and Cookie went home.

Marvel is back on the sale block looking for a new home. We need the money right now so I am hoping that someone will purchase him. If not we will be eating goats meat in about 9 months :( Sad but necessary.

I will also be castrating, tatooing, deworming, and vaccinating them this week. So he will become a wether instead of a buck. No point in keeping a stinky buck around. ;)
In other news: I am desperately searching for two bucks to breed my girls to this fall. I am hoping Ellie can be bred to Mega-Milkers Hocus Pocus in Cheyenne (the one I'm getting my doelings from) He throws some very dairy looking (tall and angular) Nubians with lots of color.
I was planning on breeding Sue to her Saanen buck as well but then realized that Sue's grandfather is her buck. :( So I'm on the search for a Saanen Buck for Sue and a Nubian Buck for the two doelings. Hopefully in Wyoming, Northern Colorado, or western Neb. Close enough to drive them to.

They're having an AI clinic here that I had signed up for. They decided on June 19-20th as the date. Unfortunatly I don't believe I'm going to be doing it now. I don't have the money for the AI equipment so was going to borrow the tank, etc. there. So early in the year though would put none of my does ready. They have some pills to insert in them that will bring the does into heat for the clinic. The problem is that my two doelings were just born and won't be ready until end of November or in December. Ellie will have just barely weaned her babies and I feel that June is way too soon to breed her again. Sue the Saanen is the only possibility for the clinic and we are required to have two does for it. Also, Saanens are seasonal breeders what are the chances even with the pill of having her "take" at that time of the year?? I've been debating about wether to try it or not with just Sue or wether to wait until next year and hope I've got more does available. I'd like to breed Ellie and Sue in Sept or Oct so that they are fresh Feb/Mar and then the two doelings in Nov/Dec. That will give me two sets of kids each birthing time and will ensure that the older does go first and I have a milk supply if something happens with the younger. If Sue was bred in June that would put the kids born in Nov! WAAAAyyyy too cold! *sigh* Probably no AI till next year at least, back to the buck search.

Random pics....

2009-04-19T10:44:00.010-06:00

Cute and Fluffy bunnies

More cute and fluffy's

Goslings and little ducklings

Full Bathtub (it was clean water when they started)

Hard work

Eggbert

Size comparison (blue swedish ducks vs. new babies)

Wyoming wind (it's pretty bad when the wind blows so hard that it lifts the back end of the wagon as it shoves the snow under)

Woooppeeee!

It's a seesaw!

Water?

What's this stuff?

Swarming with babies!

2009-04-19T09:51:00.003-06:00

This place is a mad house. We now have a grand total of: the two goat kids Wonder and Marvel, their mom Ellie, "Aunt" Sue, 3 red sex-linked pullet chicks, 5 mystery chicks, 3 Blue swedish ducks (one named Zipper, the rest are still unnamed), one white peking duckling Eggbert, 4 Khaki Campbell ducklings, 1 Caluyga duckling Beetle (I like variety), 3 brown turkeys, 6 guinea chicks for my garden, 8 baby bunnies, Mopsy and Peter (their parents), Sarah and Kady (the two dogs), Romeow and Boots (the two outdoor kitties), Olivia (the indoor kitty), and two tolouse goslings (hopefully one of each sex).

Eggberts story: Eggbert was found on freecycle under the title "Free male duck to good home" I called the number. This guy answers and I ask "what kind of duck is he?" His reply, "uhhhhummmm, a mallard?" So I ask him to email me a pic. The picture that comes isn't a full grown duck as expected. It's a cute fuzzy yellow duckling. I call him back. This is what I get told, "I bought him at the feed store here about three weeks ago for a pet in my apartment *pause* He ISN'T a good pet!" At this point I'm trying not to bust a gut laughing as I tell the guy I'll come to get him. (If it even is a "him")

We also have two more goat kids on the way, I have to go pick them up at the end of the month. Ellie is a fair quality animal but the buck she was bred to this year I'm not sure of the heritage (I've never heard any of the names on his pedigree) so I won't be keeping Wonder. I am getting a doeling from a breeder in Cheyenne. She wins the state fair here every year with hers and lots of them are nice looking animals. I also picked a doeling, Fantine(select the "kids" button to see her), out of a mom (Cozette) with a good background and a 5 star milker :) . We should have a great first freshning doe by next year.
The second doeling we are getting is coming from the same breeder and will be my mom's doeling (in my care) but I'm not quite sure which doeling we will be getting for her yet.
Next year I will have to buy more 3rd cutting hay (alfalfa) I am down to the first cutting (mostly grass) and the kids arn't weaned yet. I put the goats out on a stake today to eat the green grass that's coming up. Hopefully that will help.

In the mean time I am trying to finish an outside pen for the chickens before they grow up enough to need one. Right now they live inside the chicken coop in bad weather and go out in my outdoor guinea pig run during the day, but it's small for all of them and the turkey's. The ducks may also get their own building. I was planning on putting them with the chickens as well but I also wasn't planning on so many (although Im sure more than I want will be male and dinner) The guineas will also have their own ark so that they can live in the garden.

3 of the 8 bunnies have homes since I don't need that many for meat and sell some. I'm still looking for homes for the 5 males (I know I'll still have some that don't find homes) The only one I would have kept was the first to go. She's the pretty little soft caramel colored one.

My "to do" list on here glitched and I lost my list :( so until I find another one that works better i may just add things on my posts. I need to build my herb garden, flower gardens, the ark for the guineas, and a sandbox for a certain someone ;)

Seasonal: the low-down on Wyoming weather.

2009-04-08T15:20:00.008-06:00

Sorry for the long delay in posts. Lilly is doing okay. She is still throwing up evven though we have located a couple of legume allergies and are avoiding those. We are still struggling to keep food down and keep her hydration level up and weight up. She is doing better however and the vomiting is less frequent.

I had a request to tell about the climate here in Wyoming. Specifically Converse, Carbon, Albany, and Natrona counties. I'm going to list facts first then will give personal experiences and opinions.

Converse County(Douglas):

Average Max. Temperature (F)													60.3
Average Min. Temperature (F)													32.0
Average Total Precipitation (in.)													14.18
Average Total SnowFall (in.)													51.9
Average Snow Depth (in.)													0

Albany county (Laramie) :

Average Max. Temperature (F)													53.9
Average Min. Temperature (F)													30.4
Average Total Precipitation (in.)													11.53
Average Total SnowFall (in.)													49.8
Average Snow Depth (in.)													0

Natrona County (Casper):

Average Max. Temperature (F)													58.9
Average Min. Temperature (F)													32.1
Average Total Precipitation (in.)													11.89
Average Total SnowFall (in.)													77.5
Average Snow Depth (in.)													0

Carbon County (Rawlins):

Average Max. Temperature (F)													55.2
Average Min. Temperature (F)													30.3
Average Total Precipitation (in.)													9.05
Average Total SnowFall (in.)													51.9
Average Snow Depth (in.)													1

I couldn't find any information on how many days of sun we have per year. Days of wind however was easy...364 (yes that's a joke). We do have at least some wind almost every day though. It's a very rare day when you walk outside and absolutely everything is still and quiet. You end up just standing there in awe, listening.

What they don't tell you about the snow depth is that the snow will be non existent in some areas and eight feet high in others because of the wind.

Michael, you asked about well depths...it really varies here. Ours is 100 feet deep and has two water tables draining into it since they hit water at 30 feet but kept going. Behind our pasture on the other side of the bluff (2 miles away) there's a property that has been for sale for years. Someone will buy it, try to dig a well, and put it back on the market. They've gone down as far as 1000 feet I believe and still have no water on that place.

Bugs - hmmm good question....grasshoppers, beetles, some caterpillars (tomato eating kind), lots of flies. We aren't overrun with bugs at all but it's still enough of a problem with my garden that I bought some guineas this week to raise in my garden. By the time they're big enough to be out from under the heat lamp I should have an ark built for them on one end of the garden. They'll be free range since the garden fence wont be able to hold them, but I'm hoping that with them being fed and watered in the garden, having a house there, and having lots of bugs and weeds to eat that they will stay close to it.

Snakes- shudder....we have mostly bull snakes and rattlers here. I never see the bull snakes except on the roads occasionally. We live in a high rattler area though since we have tons of rocks and a nice high hill covered in boulder and rocks, lots of mice, etc. Still, we only saw two rattlers by our house last year. (several more on the road) We are hoping that this year (our second at this location) will be better.

Finally, gardening...fairly easy: don't plant before the end of May outside, hope it doesn't snow and get cold enough to bother them during summer. plan for a short growing season. Occasionally the frosts will hold off until end of October but don't plan on it. Have the garden ready well in advance and plant as early as possible. Lots of people around here use hot caps or plastic milk jugs over the plants for quite awhile. I just got a book called Gardening in Wyoming. I'm hoping to learn a lot from it. There's an awful lot of things that just dont grow here. I even searched craigslist and found a glass shower door, I have plans to turn that into a miniature greenhouse and grow my peppers and possibly tomatos under it. Our soil doesn't help either. Past about a foot down most of wyoming has nothing but sand or clay. Therefore, it either tends to drain away too quickly or not at all. I ended up losing half my potatoes that I planted last year because they were too close to the surface so that they wouldn't grow mold and rot in the clay and I got sun spots instead. I'm fixing that this year by planting them in old tractor tires in dirt I haul in. We're planning on making a lot of compost, getting cow manure from my father-in-law, using our goats manure, and spreading the topsoil that came from where the house is in the garden. Hopefully soon we can get that done and have some nice soil to plant in. This year it will be a rush to get anything done and I may not have a full garden or a good garden this year. I'm hoping to at least get some flower gardens started as well as an herb garden and some vegetables. I ordered a whole lot that Im not sure how well will do in the unimproved soil here.

I think I've rambled enough...any questions I missed or anything else you want to know let me know.

Lilly's problem

2009-04-04T09:13:00.002-06:00

First of all sorry for the absence and I'm sure there are some blogs I'll never catch up on so you'll have to forgive me if I missed something.
This is my daughter's story (at least part of it) :
When she was three months old she got sick with what was diagnosed as RSV. She eventually got better but has possessed a cough ever since. It's a dry hacking cough and doesn't seem to have any correlation to where she is or what she is doing. We asked our Dr. about it and he just shrugs and says oh it's nothing, it's just allergies or something.
Skipping ahead several months we took Lilly in for her year check up on the 20th of Feb. He was concerned that she didn't weigh enough. We had been giving her our food, soft stuff. Peas, cooked carrots, potato, noodles, and even some small pieces of meat (although these we normally ended up having her spit back out since she never swallowed them). He decided that the reason she wasn't gaining weight is that she couldn't chew well (she only has 4 teeth) and was quitting before she was full. He suggested that we puree everything we're eating and give her that. I don't have time for that so we bought her organic baby food. He wanted to see her in a month again (the 20th of March) for a weight check.

We get home and the first week and a half go okay(although she is sick with a fever and cough during this time) . She doesn't like the texture of the food but is eating it. Then she starts coughing again. Bad. Typical mealtime: We put her in her highchair, put the bib on her, put the tray on, and start feeding her spoonfuls, about halfway into a small jar she starts coughing, hard, she throws up.
This goes on for several days until we figure out that if she gets grabbed really quickly when she starts coughing and pulled out of the highchair and set on the floor we have about a 50% chance of saving lunch. We start doing this. Liquids she keeps down fine.
The 20th comes: She's a pound lighter (big surprise) he sends her to the lab for bloodwork and wants us to see a dietician. He also puts her on an expensive antacid to see if that helps the vommitting. He's thinking acid reflux. He also wants to see us the following week on Friday (27th).

Interjet mothers opinion : Yes she's little, but her dad can eat a cow and not gain a pound (high metabolism) and is skinny as a rail. He's 6'2" and weighs only 165 lbs. I don't think the weight problem is a problem since she only dropped to the 3rd percentile from the 30th and only dropped when she started crawling and moving. To me the real issue is her throwing up and not keeping the food down. Acid reflux?? In a 13 month old?? Let's go back to the allergy theory Doc.

So we go in and talk to the dietician, who, other than suggesting a different vitamin, says we're doing great. We give her the baby food, as much as we can keep down then feed her our stuff after. She sees no problems with what we're feeding her. On Friday she has gained her pound back (we fed her all day everyday that week, the kid never stopped eating and drinking, the tiny meals were all we could keep down her). The Dr. is concerned about her bloodwork, her white blood cell count is high (she was sick the beginning of the month, of course it is) and her protein is low (she's throwing up everything we're giving her). She's still throwing up and has a slight fever. We ask about the cough, is there something we can give her for allergies?? He ho hums for awhile, and finally gives us some Singular.

I gave her that friday afternoon, she promptly lost it. From Friday afternoon all the way through Sunday we couldn't keep anything down at all (liquids included). This was always preceeded by her cough. She ran a fever and spent the entire time in our arms moaning. (why is she sick again, she was already sick just a month ago??) On Sunday we stopped getting diapers. We would change them at the times we would normally have to and it was like we were pulling dry ones off as well as putting dry ones on. Monday morning I was concerned that she was probably dehydrated and I called the Dr. We took her in. She was admitted to the hospital and started on IV fluids. She was also placed on Oxygen since her O2 level was only 88%. She tested negative for RSV and Infuenza. We had a chest xray done (which the Dr. didn't bother to let us view) and he decided that she has the beginning of a viral pneumoniua. (Okay that explains the low O2 but not the coughing and vommitting for her entire life!) Tuesday morning they took her off of O2 and let the IV bag finish. She had 1000 ml in 24 hours. She was well hydrated again. We were sent home Tuesday night. I asked the Dr. about the vomitting, he looked at me like he didn't have a clue and reasked us every question he's asked us already. When does she vomit? (Everytime she eats, she starts coughing and then throws up) Does it have anything to do with what food she's eating? (no) Does she do anything right before she vomits? (yes, she coughs) So she coughs before she throws up? (YES!)
Frustration takes over, hasn't he listened to anything we've been saying for the past 9 months??
We get sent home with a list of Bring her back if she starts coughing, bring her back if she throws up, bring her back if she cant breath, bring her back if.....
SHE DOES THOSE ON A REGULAR BASIS NOW! ISNT ANYONE LISTENING!

Since Tuesday we've been doing itty bitty meals constantly, praying very hard, and managing to keep lots of fluids but not much food down her. We've decided to seek a second opinion and to have her allergy tested. The problem is that the nearest town that has a pediatrician is 45 miles away and most of them aren't accepting new clients. We got told by one clinic that they "don't do second opinions", got told by another that "we only take newborns as new clients", a third "we'll give you a second opinion but we wont take you on as a client". I'm at my last nerve, ready to bawl. I want my little girl back!
We did manage to get an appointment with the only allergy clinic in Casper (we have no idea if they're a good clinic or not) and she's going to be allergy tested. They said it would be $300-$500 dollars. Tim is still laid off. We're praying that her insurance will cover it since we cant afford it but we have to do something...we can't just sit around and watch her fail while her Dr. doesn't have a clue....

"natural medicine" or "is he a quack" part 4

2009-03-29T20:00:00.000-06:00

Things immediately improve. I loose my mood swings altogether and I've started to finally drop some of the weight I put on in pregnancy. My memory is starting to come back, although it's no where near where it used to be. My hubby and I don't fight all the time anymore and life is slowly getting back to normal.

Things still aren't the same as before, and they probably never will be. I've noticed that when I do revert to my old habits and eat more wheat I feel bloated and without as much energy. Milk makes me mood swing worse. I have no idea why. Both the Eat for your Type diet and Dr. Young say that goats milk is alright. And so I sit anxiously and wait for my overdue goat to have her babies (written on 3/24) and pray that she delivers them safely. I want milk, I want yogurt, I want ice cream, I want cheese...I want dairy!

I'm still seeing Dr. Young since he has an ongoing program. I think he believes that no one is ever fully healed (which I think could be considered correct) Our visits are about once a month now though which is a relief since driving the two hours down and then two back for a half hour appt. was really getting to me. He switched my supplements though recently. Anyone ever heard of superfood? He told me to drink it for breakfast with a V8. Now I'm not a big fan of V8 to begin with but I figured I'd try. His nurse says it tastes like grass, his receptionist says it tastes like hay. I'm officially here to tell you that I'd rather go out and eat hay with my goats than drink superfood! I looked at the ingredients, they are as follows: Spirulina Blue-green algae, Chlorella broken-cell algae, Barley, alfalfa and wheat grasses (and I thought he wanted me to avoid wheat ???) Purple Dulse Seaweed, beet root, spinach leaf, rose hips, oat straw, orange and lemon peels (maybe if there was more of this it would taste better), in a base of non-fermentable Saccharomyces Cervisiae yeast.

How's that for a mouthful? And he wants me to drink this?? For breakfast??
Okay to be honest...I tried it...I gave it a fair shot. The first day I swigged that sucker down as fast as I could without breathing. It tasted awful but it was doable. Second day...I swig that stuff down about halfway and my stomach starts churning. I finish it and sit sick for the next hour. Third day...I take one slug...It's gone....I quit!

So the last Dr. appt. I tell him I'm done with "that junk" because I can't keep it down. His response..."I drink it every morning, but you're doing it wrong. You have to take a gulp and swish it around your mouth for at least ten seconds so that it mixes with your saliva and then swallow it. Then you can swig the rest and not have a problem with it. You do that to let your stomach know what's coming and to prepare it. I've been drinking it for ten years and even if I drink it too fast it feels like a mule has kicked me in the stomach"

Let me get this straight Dr. you not only want me to drink it but you want me to taste it in my mouth for ten seconds first? then chug? How is that going to "prepare" my stomach? Other than making it start churning faster. and another thing...You've been drinking this for that long and you still have a problem drinking it? Gee, you want to go natural medicine...I'd say that's your body telling you that it DOESN'T like it! That was a week ago....I still haven't been brave enough to try it again...any volunteers?? Please...somebody...anybody...just not me....

"natural medicine" or "is he a quack" Part 3

2009-03-28T20:00:00.003-06:00

Reading through the information on the website and in the book I decided to make a few changes to my diet. I'm a type O and two of the main things that the Eat for your type diet suggested were to cut out the Milk and the wheat. Now the wheat isn't too big of a deal since I've never really liked breads anyways. Milk on the other hand...I'm addicted to. I adore dairy products. I desperately needed something to change in my life however so I tried it. No milk and no wheat. At the same time my mom suggested that I go see a Dr. in Cheyenne that she had gone to when she lived here. Since she very kindly told me she'd pay for me to try it I agreed. According to my mother what he does is called Kinesiology. He calls it "Nutrition Response testing" on his website. Basically he lays you on a table and places one hand on various parts of your body (for instance forehead, belly button, etc.) while the other hand pushes against your arm that you hold at a right angle upwards for him. You're supposed to "match" pressure with him on your arm. For example, he pushes, you push back at the same strength. The theory is that when you have a weak acupuncture point that he places his opposite hand on you cannot push back enough with your arm to match his and that tells him that that point is weak. Then he places natural supplements on your stomach that are supposed to help that point out and tests again. If you react the same then your body has rejected the supplement and he trys a different one until you can match pressure again. So we do this whole thing and he sends me home with thyroid support supplements. Thyroid problems, coincedently, was what my symptoms ressembled but the "lab work" that the traditional Dr had ordered said that it was "normal". Also he gives me a list of foods to eat and not to eat. On the not to eat list...right at the top...wheat flour and milk! Within about two weeks I'm doing better. I still have bad days of course but it isn't everyday that I'm "disagreeable".

Weeks pass and I visit the Dr. in Cheyenne every week as he insists. I take my pills and I do my changed diet. I get to a point where I feel a ton and a half better but I'm still not me. Something is still wrong and I'm just not finding it. So I sit down and I think about my life. This all started when Lilly was born. The symptoms that still remain (memory loss, sexual desire loss, weight gain) all came when I got pregnant. I wonder if my hormones are still messed up. I think on that for awhile and realize that I haven't been normal since before my pregnancy and that it seems like I am still pregnant. Suddenly it hits me...several birth control methods use progesterone hormone to make the body think it's already pregnant so it doesn't release an egg. Among those birth control methods...my IUD that I had placed right after Lilly was born. Desperate to become myself again I call the Dr. to make an appointment to have it removed. I find out that I have to be having my period in order to remove it more easily. I had just finished, so I was sentenced to another month. The month passes and I go in and have it removed.

"natural medicine" or "is he a quack" Part 2

2009-03-27T20:00:00.001-06:00

First thing we did was try to make an appointment with our Dr. He was busy and couldn't see us for three weeks since it wasn't an emergency. I thought "You don't understand, I have no life and you're telling me it's not an emergency?" We called some of the other Drs and got an appointment with one of them. When we went in for the appointment the nurse took all my vitals and we waited for the Dr.

She came in and started talking to us and I told her everything that I could think of that was wrong with me. Mood swings, crying a lot, always down, low sex drive, wasn't losing the baby weight, no memory, on and on I went. When I got done the Dr. looked at me and deadpan straight faced said, "so what do you want? Drugs?"

What on earth is she saying, my mind whirled. That's her answer? No other suggestions?? I looked at her, " How about lab work to make sure there isn't anything physically wrong with me" I said pointedly. She shrugged, "Okay I'll write you up a lab slip, when you want meds come back and see me"

Well gee that was helpful. I started crying again as soon as we got to the car. There's something really wrong with me and my Dr. can't bother to see me and the other Dr. wants to put me on meds. I went home and did some research. I found that most Dr's answers was drugs. I also found that even thought the Dr's say you only have to be on them for a short time that most people that started them were still on them. I also found that most of the drugs had side effects that I already had as symptoms. Why would I want to take a medication that was going to make me worse and that I would in all reality probably be on for years. I started crying again.

My husband and I were falling apart, I was at a point where I didn't want anything to do with my daughter, and no one seemed to want to help me. I turned to the church. I knew that one of the ranch lady's that I really liked had a husband that was a pastor. He should be trained in counseling. I called her and set up a time to meet with them. Or at least I thought I would be meeting with both of them. I arrived with my family to find that only she was there. Now I really like this lady but I was extremely dissapointed. It isn't her that I really wanted to see. We sat and we talked for hours. I complained that I didn't have the time to do anything I wanted to do because of all the housework and keeping everything else up. Her answer, "who cares? Does Tim get upset when it doesn't get done?"
"No, but I do" I replied.
"well don't let it eat your biscuit" She replied back...
WHAT???? what the heck is she talking about???!! Several hours later we left, I was again dissapointed and crying out of frustration. Why can't anyone help me???
The only thing she had told me that was at all hopeful was about a blood type diet. She said that since all the blood types of the world had developed in different times and different places the people consequently ate different things. Therefore your diet should be based on what blood type you are and certain blood types should not eat certain things. She recommended a book at the library. What she said made sense and I checked out the book and also the website but I still wasn't getting anywhere...

"natural medicine" or "is he a quack" Part 1

2009-03-26T20:00:00.004-06:00

When I had Lilly about 13 months ago I was thrilled. My mom and dad came out from Va. to see their new grandbaby and I thankfully had lots of help the first few weeks. They went home and my hubby went to work again on the ranch. She was born during calving season which was great because it meant that her daddy wasn't working other than on the ranch for the first few months of her life. Then summer came. Daddy was going to work at 6:30 in the morning and coming home at 7 at night. Then I started getting tired. His mother didn't seem to want to do anything with her and I was left taking care of her by myself. At some point in the midst of the feeding, pumping, cleaning, cooking, laundry, and everything else that had become my daily life taking care of the baby lost its charm for me. I started realizing that there was a problem in October. We had gone to visit relatives in Missouri and my parents drove out to meet us there. The relative had a pond stocked with fish in her front yard. Now normally on a family vacation we would be touring the state but we had gone with my grandfather and his brothers and sisters. They're old, they're tired, they've seen it all already. I love them to death though please don't read that wrong. The point being that we stayed at the relatives house and with the exception of a few days didn't go anywhere. I started realizing there was a problem when I was thouroughly enjoying letting my mom take care of Lilly and I wanted nothing to do with her. "this is wrong" my brain said, "I should want to be with my child" When mom volunteered to let me stay at the relatives house overnight and not go back to the camper and to take care of Lilly overnight I readily agreed. As I sat out on the grass fishing I really started thinking that my life just wasn't right.

When we got home things didn't improve any. My hubby was still working 66 hours a week and I still had no help there. He would come home and would, understandably, not want to do anything, which left me still taking care of her and putting her to bed after bathing and feeding. I would crash exhausted as soon as she was in bed. I started yelling at him that he needed to help me. It got to a point where we were doing nothing but fighting with each other. He'd say one thing wrong and I'd start screaming or just bust out crying.

One night when I was bawling and he was holding me we started talking..."when was the last time you were happy?" he asked I thought back...and back...and farther back...I couldn't remember, but I guessed that it was the beginning of June. We decided then and there that I needed help. But where to find it....

Edit: I realized that a lot of you were thinking that I was still really down and sometimes I am but I'm a whole lot better now so don't worry, more to come in the posts that follow.

They're here...they're here! - they've been named

2009-03-25T16:17:00.005-06:00

Ellie's kids have finally arrived. I'm so excited. They didn't get their first drink until about 2 hours after they were born and I ended up having to milk her almost dry and then stick the nipples in their mouths. They caught on fast after that though and both got a small drink. I'll go out again in a few hours and make sure they get another drink.

There is one of each sex. We have a solid brown doeling with a small white spot on her lower side. The Buck is solid black on the body and legs and brown on his belly, a white spot on the top of his head and with a small white spot on his lower side as well. I'm headed out to check on them again and will post pics as soon as I can get them to stand still long enough to get a good one. The one's I got a few minutes ago aren't very good.

Edit: appearantly the camra isn't focusing right so I still came in with a bunch of garbage pics. Managed to find a couple decent ones though.
Marvel Buckling

Wonder Doeling

Having Dinner!

Second edit: they've been named Wonder and Marvel

The babies and when will Eliie go?

2009-03-25T09:17:00.006-06:00

Well since it had warmed up yesterday a bit and wasnt too cold this morning I went out and locked momma bunny out so that I could steal her babies. I pulled several out, then several more. Geez...I'd thought she only had a few (4-5) in there but her nest was decieving. She had eight little bunnies in there, all wonderfully warm, fed, furry, and happy.

They're so cute too! I had expected one or two to look like "dad" with his beautiful white coat and soft orange spots but we have four! I had also thought that the majority would look like mom and just be a bland soft grey. This is what we really have:Four like Peter, one grey and brown marbled, one black and brown tiger striped, one jet black, and one black and brown marbled

How on earth am I supposed to turn something sooo cute into meat?? (okay...not getting attached not getting attached)

In other news...Ellie still has not had her kids (she was due on Monday) but there's hope on the horizon...she is "bagging up" really bad today and I can no longer feel her tail ligaments. Maybe in the next 12 hours??? Hopefully....

Below is the back view from the 15th:

The things we order....

2009-03-24T20:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I ordered all of my garden stuff the beginning of the month and I'm thinking now that I maybe went a bit overboard. Hmmm I hope I have time to plant all this stuff....

On the other hand keep in mind that we have nothing but mud here. We just moved in last March and I didn't have much of a garden last year, our entire place is mud and open space. I did plant about 50 trees last summer but am not sure if any of them made it through the winter they all look pretty brown, I plan on watering them a bit to see but I'm not sure they survived.

I try not to order anything that the edibility is questioned on. For example: I know there are some hedges and bushes that have berries that people really aren't supposed to eat. I leave those out. I don't want Lilly to go out someday and pick something and eat it when it isn't edible :( So...we have landscaping with edible items...or regular flowers, trees that aren't

Here's the list: Practical or unpractical uses, Animals, Us, Experiment (think it will grow here? or what is that?), Landscaping (I need something to break up the prairie!)
Luffa Sponge
Bean, Kentucky Wonder
Bean, Stringless Blue Lake
Peanut, Early Spanish
Corn, Ornamental Indian Rainbow
Gourd, Ornamental
Gourd, Bushel
Gourds - Bird houses! YEAH!!
Wonder Egg Seed - Anyone else grown this?
Vine Peach
Sunflower, Giant Grey Striped
Spinach, Melody
Lettuce, Gourmet Salad Blend
Huckleberry, Garden - never had these but want to try
Tomato, Ground Cherry
Chard, Northern Light
Cauliflower, Snowball
Carrot, Tendersweet
Hybrid Willow
Corn, Iochief
Corn, Peaches & Cream
Bean, Fordhook Lima
Broccoli, Packman Hybrid
Beet, Detroit Dark Red
Beet, Cylindra
Pea, Super Sugar Snap
Pea, Wando
Pea, Goliath Snow
Raspberry Collection, Early to Late
Strawberry Collection, Everbearing
Strawberry, Fort Laramie
Mulberry, Russian - berries berries everywhere and not a one to spare (hopefully)
Gooseberry, Pixwell
Dwarf Flowering Cherry
Purple Leaf Plum Hedge
Carrot, Sweetness II Hybrid
Blueberry, Tophat
Shade Hybrid Poplar
Screen Hybrid Poplar
Pepper Plant Collection, Rainbow
Tomato, Brandywine
Tomato, Big Beef Hybrid
Pumpkin, Dill's Atlantic Giant
Melon Collection, Combinaton
Tomato Colleciton, Mini
Potato, Red Pontiac
Potato, Norland
Vegetable Sampler
Rhubarb, Victoria
Potato, Georgia Jet Sweet
Onion Set, Yellow

Still need to order flowers, ohh and I'm getting a honey suckle vine this year I dont care what you say! lol

Mommy's little Helper

2009-03-23T20:00:00.001-06:00

I have a very curious 13 month old. She has been thrilled with the new additions and likes to feel their soft feathers on her cheeks. She also helps mommy feed and water them.

She likes when she gets to look at them

The ducklings also got a bath.

And she made sure they wouldn't drown

We also have other babies!

2009-03-22T20:00:00.000-06:00

I got a few birds today. I haven't been able to find a place around here to order birds from so I went to the feed store to purchase them. The feed store that was 45 min away was out and didn't have any. I had to go to Cheyenne anyways though (2 hours drive) and went to the feed store there. We drove back with them in a tub in the front seat and with the heater on for a while, then I'd set the lid on it and turn off the heat until Lilly and I got cooled down. It was quite a trip but they didn't get chilled and are all doing wonderfully.
This is what we have so far...
Three Turkeys

Four red sex links

Five "mystery chicks" (they were thrown in the box to keep the ducks warm and they had no idea what they were, the lady at the store thinks they're roosters) Any help I.D. ing them would be appreciated.

And three Blue swedish ducks

Some of their wing feathers are growing in already. Any guesses about age? The feed store in Torrington (2 hours) is having a sale on Thursday and I'm hoping to get more then.
Still on the list....2-3 Egg ducks such as Pekin, 11-16 more chickens (hopefully australorps, but whatever I can find at the moment)

I've been tagged!

2009-03-22T08:32:00.007-06:00

Well Claire tagged me in her blog so here it is...

The sixth photo in my sixth album

I ran across this when I was looking at palan stuff before the election and found it rather amusing so I saved it.

We have babies!

2009-03-21T20:00:00.000-06:00

The first of our babies have arrived but I don't know how many there are. Mopsy is being extremely protective and since this is her first litter I didn't want to stress her out too much.

This is the nest. I had forgotten that they bury them in the fur so well and mistakenly thought I could snap a few pics and then count the babies in the safety of the house. In other words I don't have pics of the babies yet. They're too far buried, I will post again in a few days when she calms down a bit.

Sue's new toy...

2009-03-20T20:00:00.000-06:00

Hello everybody, I'm Sue. This is my first post that my mommy has let me post.

She let us out today to run around the back yard while she was building our hay rack. *giggle* It makes the dogs mad when we're in their area and they go pout.
Here's a picture of our new hay rack. It has funny writing on it but I can't figure out what it says..

While we were out playing I found a new toy!

Oh mommy oh mommy can I take this back to my pen with me I asked. But she said no, and "get off there" but...what's this I spy from my cable spool...?

Whooo peee! A new toy!! She made me a new toy!! and it's slanted !!!

And Jump!

Thanks mom! I love you! Can I have a new toy tomorrow too??

Bargains at the lumber store...

2009-03-19T20:00:00.001-06:00

Well our lumber store here has an annual habit of having a garage sale! At it they sell everything they've accumulated over the past year that has anything at all wrong with it. The best stuff goes at the beginning the worst but with the best deals at the end. We wait all year for this garage sale.

Tim calls me on saturday at 2 pm. "did you know that today is bloedorns garage sale?"
"you're kidding me! I'm on my way"

I speed into town, knowing that everything good was taken very early this morning. When I arrive there isn't much left but I wander around looking at everything. They have a 2 foot by 4 foot vinyl window that you can see the screen side on. I turn it around...hmmm it had a very nice oak stained wood interior...

I continue looking, mismatched boxes of vinyl siding...I need something to waterproof the wood on the chicken coop...I wonder if the chickens care what color their coop is...
Hmm a full box of nails for my hubby's nail gun...

I go inside and ask for the person who is making the deals to come out with me. We go to the nails and I ask how much he'll take for them. He "ho hums" a minute so I ask how much he wants for the vinyl siding. He gives me an odd look "which color?".
"All of them" I reply, he gives me an odder look. I tell him my chicken coop needs sided. His face lights with understanding. I'm fully expecting him to say $50-$100 since I know how much vinyl siding goes for.
"$20" he rattles off, "you take all this and the box of nails for $20"
"done" I pop off as my mind reels. The box of nails alone is $60 in a store. He goes to get his marker to write sold on the boxes.
I then take him to the window and ask about price on it. "$25" I nod that I'll take it. I'm starting to really enjoy myself...This older gentleman walks in as the man is writing "sold" on the windows frame, he gives a look of disgust "that window is worth more than that!" I shrug and walk on past him.

I browse around inside for a bit and make a deal with the "dealer" for two deadbolts, a cute shower hose with a frog on the end for Lilly, a doorknob, a sprayer for a hose, some shower curtain rings, an appliance timer, and some other misc. items.
I then ask if he wants to make a deal for the lumber across the street.

We walk over and he looks at me, "when can you pick it up?" It's 2:30 in the afternoon, I know they close at five. I look at him, "I go home get the truck and come right back"
"In that case, this pile, that pile, those piles over there, all we have left for $30"
I'm in shock...I nod dumbly.
By the days end I had a box of nails for the nailgun, the window, the misc odds and ends, all the lumber, and the vinyl siding for $85. To top it off, while we were loading it they found more siding to throw in, as well as a glass tub/shower door, and a plastic shower kit. *sigh* I love Bloedorns garage sale.

This is my new pile of lumber, one trailer and full pickup loads worth. It also has the vinyl siding on top of it.

The Other score I made this weekend...I will use the bricks when I have enough for a flower bed and the tires will have one of the sidewalls cut out and become planters.

My strawberry beds from last year for an example

Phase two: rabbit hutch

2009-03-18T20:00:00.001-06:00

Well it's finally done. You've seen pics of the outside of the hutch but without doors or the outside portion

Here is the outside of the hutch, with doors.

The inside of the boxes: Sliding door for trapping bunnies in one side or the other. Also features a trap door for scraping the bedding out into a box below (box not pictured)

The outside pens, end on: it leans against the hutch and in the near future will slide on with two metal pieces to attach.

This is the "front" of the outside pens (yes I know my doors aren't very good) I never claimed to be good at carpentry, just functional :)

And this concludes our tour of the rabbit hutch, thank you and please stay tuned for more bad carpentry projects...

What on earth has the county done now?

2009-03-17T19:23:00.014-06:00

We live on a dirt road that is maintained (hahahahaha) by the county. On one side of the road is our deeded land, on the other is the state land that we lease. In the past many colorful things have been done to our road. One blade driver scooped up the bar ditches onto the road so that he didn't have to blade the ruts out, and also took out several of our fence posts. The result: ruts a foot deep the next rain and vehicles sliding off the road. The road never got fixed after that. The roads get so bad when it rains that the sheriff won't even drive it since the last time he did he ended up in the ditch. Soooooo....current story:
Spring last year: Hubby slides off road and tears a U-joint in half trying to claw his way back onto it.
The neighbor (who happens to be the brand inspector and consequently carries a bit of weight around here) calls and complains to the head of road and bridge...again...
This time the county responded, they sent a blade out to blade the ruts
The result: the blade had to be pulled out of the ditch
The county decides that maybe our road is pretty bad after all. They bring in semi load trucks of red rock from a neighboring mine. They spread it on the road...one inch think and only to the top of the big hill.
The result: the road is passable if you're very careful until you reach the top of the big hill.

Months pass.....
The county came out last week and spread crushed asphalt over the red rock, also an inch thick.
We now slide around due to a slight scattering of rock on the road.
This week...
The county has decided to use the state land for a parking lot. They have a blade, a packer, and two scrapers just sitting on state land at the bottom of the big hill (our side of it).
Today...the equipment moves...all day it runs up and down the road....in the ditches....
The result:

The road is scraped clean of all of it's dirt but otherwise untouched....the ditches however are another story.
Did they really need to scrape all the dirt off the side of the hill? And what's with the pull out in front of that? This is an itty bitty hardly used county road...we don't need a pull off and not on state land. Why are we tearing up the grass for this?

This one is right outside our driveway. Little close to the fence line again, how many posts is my hubby going to spend hours replacing this time?

And this used to be a nice flat place across the road from our driveway that my hubby created to be able to swing semi's into our drive, will it still exist?

And last but not least the road goes on, tore up on both sides. in the distance you can see untore ditches...more to come tommorrow??

Any thoughts? What is the county up to???

OKay which first?

2009-03-17T17:00:00.002-06:00

I have to go pick up my daughter but am taking a quick vote, which post do you guys want first?

Sue's new Toy...

Rabbit Hutch Part 2

Bargains at the lumber store...

or

What on earth has the county done now?

The shave of the goat

2009-03-16T18:47:00.003-06:00

Okay, I went out today and Ellie appeared to be a bit looser in her tail ligaments than normal so I decided with only six days to go maybe she should get her clip.

Here's a picture of Ellie before hand (on 2/22)
and one after (not the prettiest but I don't think I did too bad for my first dairy clip)

She jumped around a bit, the lady I got her from didn't clip them so she was a little concerned about what I was doing and kept trying to turn around to look. Also trimmed all of the goats feet.

I also took top views for comparison:
Feb 22
March 16
Does she look any bigger?

Cookie is a wild girl, today was her first day on a collar and leash and she was jumping all over the place trying to get away and bellering. *sigh* I have my work cut out trying to tame her down.

In other news the rabbit hutch is almost done, will hopefully finish it tomorrow the rabbits are due on Saturday and I'd like to get them into it before she starts nesting too badly.

Yahoo groups and goats

2009-03-10T08:14:00.003-06:00

Good morning! Sorry for the lack of posts I've been avoiding the computer and trying to get some done around here. My rabbit hutch is looking good but still not finished. I got the wire on the bottom and on the two sides and the electric stapler quit. I can't find my hand stapler. :( so no more putting on wire until I can find it. I'm working on building the doors for the front of the outside pen but right now that isn't going so well either. I used a miter block and saw to make the 45 degree angles but somehow they don't fit together still. 10 days till baby bunnies...I NEED to get it done

I'm other news...Just a few more days till I have kids! I'm so very excited. We spent the afternoon on the ranch yesterday and it snowed and got blizzardy. When that happens the cows start dropping calves...fast. "Mom" said that in the time it took "dad" to drive the feedlot yesterday with the tractor there were three new calves on the ground. I think we had a total of 20 or so just yesterday. The barn is full and will be a pain to clean this morning. I was almost afraid to go see my girls when we got home because I was afraid I'd have frozen kids on the ground. Yes I know, it's still too early, but that didn't stop me from worrying.

I did start a new group on yahoo if anyone is interested in joining. After there gets to be more people on there it should be a great group.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AllFarmAnimal/

Nick

2009-03-03T12:32:00.004-07:00

Today is probably the last and only post with Nick in it. Our miniature schnauzer was gotten three years ago and had been very loved. Today I made the hard decision that it's time for him to find a new home. He has a problem with barking at people at has never threatened to bite a stranger but unfortunately this is not something I've been able to train out of him. He is extremely sweet and cuddly with me and even Tim, my mom and most other adults. After I allow them into the house he relaxes and loves up on them. The nephews (14,10,6) have all ran around and played with him and had few problems. The youngest of the nephews was running with a stick and he was trying to grab it (a few years ago) and ended up biting him but we think that was an accident. He has however, been acting odd ever since Lilly came home. He has been growly with anyone who wants to touch her but since she learned to crawl he has also been growly with her. We thought initially that he was just protecting her, but wonder now if he's jealous. He has been with Tim and I since he was 6 weeks old. When we went to grandma's really made me start thinking about giving him up. Lilly adore's "her" puppy and will leave the other dogs alone to go to him. Nick, however, will growl at her when she gets within a foot of him and has even snapped at her when she has tapped him. She has never hurt him and I have always watched closely whenever she is near any of the dogs. I thought I could modify the behavior and that as long as she was nice to him she wouldn't actually get bit.

Today, I went outside and Sarah was in the yard sleeping, but the other two were no where to be seen. I noticed that I had accidently left the kennel door open and thought I would go check the kennel because normally when the pups run away it's Sarah and Nick, he doesn't ever run off by himself. So I went into the kennel and looked in the doghouses and Nick was lying in one and Kady in the other. I bent over to call to them and Kady came right out with a freindly wiggle and went to the yard to join Sarah. Nick jumped up barking and growling and stood there hackles raised staring at me while barking his head off. I stood there for a minute waiting for him to calm down. He didn't calm down until I asked him "who do you think you're barking at??!" Then his whole demeanor changed and he went all sorry and mushy. I do realize the he was probably dreaming but it got me thinking though that if he is willing to bark and growl at me, how long before he does bite Lilly?

I posted him on craigslist and he will be searching for a new home.

chicken education:

2009-03-03T07:19:00.002-07:00

Okay, it's time for all you chicken people to educate me a little. We have the coop built but since we don't have the pen done yet for the outside portion I haven't done any research on chicken or duck breeds yet. There is a lady coming through here on the 15th however and she says she has every breed available (I don't know how that's possible) older hens not chicks (about 6 mo-1 year old) so they should be ready to lay. She wants $12 for the hens, $9 for Bantys (what's a banty?), and $15 for ducks. Is this a good price and should I be building that pen as fast as possible? Or is it a bit suspicious or high priced and I probably don't want hens from her anyways?

I'm looking for chickens that are good layers, eggs every day, but that I can tell apart, good looking eggs are third on the list of wants. Any suggestions on breed?

Short and sweet

2009-02-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

New look to go with spring, I need a less boring name too...suggestions???

Chris Ledoux tribute

2009-02-27T17:39:00.003-07:00

Okay it's a tad early but I felt like doing it! For the first time on March 9, 2005 I actually cried when I heard that someone not related to me or my friends had died. Most of the time I hear that such and such celebrity has died and I'm sad for their family and friends but am not sad myself. When Chris Ledoux died it was different. I grew up wanting to be a singer. I was told that I couldn't do that, that I would never make it and I was set up for failure. Unfortunately I let that stop me, but I guess that's okay because I wouldn't have the life I had now if I had been a singer. NEVER tell your children they CANT do something! (no I'm not criticizing my family, they raised me well) Anyways Mr. Ledoux was a hero to me, he did everything I'd ever wanted to and so much more. He lived and worked on a ranch while still writing and singing good old fashioned country songs that meant something. He declined a record label for many years and made his career on his own. He had a wonderful wife and five children and lived a family life. Best of all he was from podunk Wyoming! YEAH!! I never got to meet the man or even see him in concert :( but I still adore his music to this day and miss him terribly. I put a video over on the right. I wanted to find "song of wyoming" but unfortunately cant get it without paying for it and don't know how to put them on a blog off a CD. So we go with a video I found and his biography below...

CMT Biography
Singer-songwriter and former rodeo champion Chris LeDoux died Wednesday (March 9) in Casper, Wyo., following a lengthy battle with liver ailments. He was 56.
LeDoux was admitted to Wyoming Medical Center in Casper earlier this week after experiencing complications from his cancer. He and his family lived on a ranch near Kaycee, Wyo.
LeDoux underwent a liver transplant in October 2000 after being diagnosed with a rare liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis. In November 2004, LeDoux confirmed he had been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a slow-growing cancer of the bile duct.
Commenting on LeDoux's death, Capitol Records Nashville president and CEO Mike Dungan noted, "In a world of egos and soundalikes, he was a unique artist and a wonderful man."
LeDoux had already recorded and marketed 22 albums on his own Lucky Man Music label before signing to Capitol Records in 1992. In large part, the major label deal was due to the support of another Capitol artist -- longtime fan Garth Brooks -- who had immortalized LeDoux in his 1989 debut single, "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)." Through the years, Brooks would openly acknowledge that his concerts were in many ways inspired by LeDoux's high-voltage live shows.
Born Oct. 2, 1948, in Biloxi, Miss., Chris LeDoux was raised in Austin, Texas. His father was an Air Force pilot who moved the family throughout the U.S. While spending time in Texas and Wyoming, LeDoux gained an interest in music and the rodeo. In 1976, he earned the title of world champion bareback rider from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
LeDoux began dabbling at songwriting while in high school and started recording and releasing his own albums in 1973. With titles such as Old Cowboy Heroes, Rodeo Songs and Wild and Wooly, LeDoux's music was aimed directly at the rodeo and cowboy subculture. Selling the tapes at rodeos, LeDoux built a devoted fan base that would continue to support him for more than three decades.
Capitol eventually reissued virtually all of the titles from LeDoux's Lucky Man catalog. His first Capitol album, Western Underground, was released in 1991. His second Capitol release, Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy, featured Brooks on the title track. Peaking at No. 7 in 1992, it was LeDoux's only Top 10 single. LeDoux would later perform duets with others, including a 1994 pairing with Toby Keith on "Copenhagen" and a 1999 collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi on "Bang a Drum."
With career sales of almost 6 million albums, LeDoux is the subject of numerous compilations. Among the most comprehensive are American Cowboy (1972-94), a three-CD set highlighting his earliest work, and The Capitol Collection (1990-2000) , featuring six previously-released albums and bonus tracks.
Living with his family on a ranch in Wyoming, LeDoux was a soft-spoken man who often seemed uneasy in discussing his formidable accomplishments. During a trip to Tennessee in 2003, Capitol Nashville presented him with a plaque for his career record sales. In accepting the plaque, LeDoux told the group, "I couldn't have done this without the help of a lot of people. They gently nudged this lazy old cowboy along to get out there and do this for a living. If it weren't for them, I'd be singing to the sheep and the cows still."

Coyote tale

2009-02-26T21:38:00.002-07:00

I know...lots of posts tonight...I just don't know when to shut up ;) Shiloh's post made me think of our coyotes though and had to post my story. It was fall of '07 and I was pregnant with Lilly. I'm skipping vital info though...when I was younger I wasn't allowed to go hunting with my family, they only allowed the boys to go. Consequently I always wanted to go, soooo...when I met my hubby and could go hunting on the ranch I went. First year I shot a itty bitty buck up on the mountain but Tim had to spot it for me. Second year, Fall of '07 and I'm pregnant, I wanted to be able to spot my deer (doe this time) by myself. So I took the gun, informed him I was going hunting without him and hiked up to the ridge behind his parents house (probably about a mile hike) alone. Well I get up there and I'm being really quiet of course, and I see this group of deer going down into a dip in front of me. So I sneak around the direction they're headed and go a few ridges and sit down to wait for them since I figure they'll go that way. I wait...and I wait some more...and I wait some more..... Two short ridges away a coyote trots out and lays down. I watch her for a few minutes, still waiting on the deer. Pretty soon another trots out and rolls around in the dust by her. I decide to get closer so I slink down through the dip and over to the next ridge, I crouch down behind a fair size rock and am about 3 feet away from it, so that I'm in it's shadow. The coyotes and still down there relaxing. I'm still waiting for the deer.

I start thinking about how my mother-in-law is always complaining about the coyotes and about how they kill the calves. I know they're on the predator list and I can legally shoot them but I'm still waiting on my deer darn-it! I finally decide my deer went another direction and wonder if I should take a shot at the coyotes. I brought both my .22 and the .243 with me to the ridges but I had left my .22 back where I first saw the deer, knowing it would do me no good on them and just slow me down. So I have this monster of a gun (I know I know .243s aren't bad, but compared to a .22 they're a monster) and I'm debating about taking a shot at the coyote. I finally figure, oh what the heck, the ranch wants them gone and I've got an OK shot, if I miss they'll just run off.

So I get the gun up and ready, I aim and BOOM! I miss! The previous year I shot my buck beautifully in one shot. I had forgotten how much of a kick that .243 has! I'm sitting there stunned watching the coyotes run off. Out of the corner of my eye I see a movement on the ridge line to my left. I turn that way and a coyote shoots off at the movement. I'm starting to think...okay, the coyote just went the wrong way when he ran, I'm hidden in the shadow of this rock he couldn't see me. "Reload the stupid gun," does not cross my mind. A flash from the valley behind the rock on the right, I turn that way and see another coyote dissapear. What on earth is going on here?? Suddenly there's one trotting down the slope in front of me heading straight for me...I panicked (I hate to say it but I did). I threw a shell into the gun and aimed it at the coyote coming down the slope in front...I can't shoot! I'm freaked out about the darn kicking gun and can't shoot! AHHH....coyote gets closer, and closer, and closer (jumping up and waving my arms and screaming does not occur to me) I finally decide that this coyote is going to have me for lunch if I don't shoot the gun. BANG! Down it drops, shadow vanishes on the right of me again, I jerk towards it and there goes the tail. I forget the gun has to be reloaded (my .22 is semi-auto and the .243 is borrowed) There goes a coyote on my left again I raise the gun quickly and "click." More panic! I'm thinking "oh, my Gosh! I'm being surrounded and hunted by these coyotes and they're going to eat me and my little girl!" (keep in mind people I have hormones going on at this time!) I throw another shell into the gun, another coyote coming down the slope in front to investigate the dead one. I vaguely aim and shoot BANG! (no gun shy this time) There's a yelp and the coyote takes off running. I reload quickly.

I sit there glancing furiously all around me...nothing, not a thing...they're gone. I stand up, gun still loaded and ready...knees shaky...I wobble down to the dead coyote...yep, it's dead...hmm no blood trail from the other coyote...I'm going the heck home...I have to walk back and collect my .22 though and that's the direction they've gone. I walked slowly back to the .22 watching carefully the whole way. I get to my .22 and unload the .243 and load the .22, less powerful but I can shoot quicker and it doesn't beat me up with every shot. I'm dreading walking the mile back to the house and wishing I'd brought a vehicle, digging out cell phone to call hubby...here comes my brother-in-law Rick in the Kawasaki Mule! He pulls up with his oldest in the passenger seat. "what'd you get??!" he quirps happily. I have never been that happy to see my brother-in-law!

I did make $15 off of that dead coyote though. I learned that there's a bounty for them here and we went and picked it up. Next day, I decided I'd seen my deer and I was NOT going alone. Hubby took his pistol .44 and went with me, we got my deer, after hours of searching, but that's another story.

Premios Dardo award

2009-02-26T20:54:00.004-07:00

Well Claire tagged me and I posted that I would do it when I had more time so here it is!
(now who the heck am I gonna tag??)

So, the rules that go with the award are...

STEP 1: Respond and rework. Answer the following questions on my blog, replacing one question that I dislike with a question of my own invention.
STEP 2: Add one more question of my own.
STEP 3: Tag eight other bloggers.

1) What is your favorite day of the week? Mondays most of the time, Lilly goes to daycare the most on Mondays (I love my little one but a break is nice, even though yes, I do miss her while she's gone lol) also Mondays are safety meetings at Tim's work and since he's officially laid off right now it's the only garunteed time without him (love him too but hey, men can drive you nuts!)

2) What is your biggest fear? hmm I have to think about that, I hate spiders...I guess my biggest fear is that one of these darned rattlers we have in the summer would bite my daughter :"(

3) What was your worst subject in school? History, growing up in Wyoming most of what we learned about didn't happen here and was very boring, I didn't get into history at all until I moved to Va and got to see Gettysburg.

4) Who is the last person you hugged? Lilly! Right before I put her to bed! (Ellie the goat was before that lol)

5) What websites do you visit when you go online? hehe, I have no life, I blog and I play all the games on facebook :) that doesn't leave much time for other sites.

6) What was the last item that you bought? umm...natural medicines for the three of us.

7) If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? Africa! I'm like James Patterson in "the Ghost and the Darkness" I've been waiting my whole life to see it. I'd love going everywhere else too, Australia's next but Africa definetly tops the list.

8) If you woke up tomorrow and were the opposite sex what is the first thing you would do and why? I would stare at the toilet roll holder until I figured out how to put on a new roll. (how do you beat Claire's answer??!) hmmmm...stare at the sink till I figure out how to wash a dish or two??

9) If you couldn't have your current job, and money were not an issue, what would be your second choice? I would kill for a vet clinic here to work at, I miss my vet days terribly

10) Has a celebrity's hair cut ever influenced your own hairstyle?
Nope I've always been me and boring lol

11) If you had a whole day to yourself with no work, commitments, or interruptions, what would you do? Go for a long walk hunting rabbits and coyotes with just my dog (not the other two, they make too much noise and I miss "us" time with her), write my story (it'll be published about the time I'm 90 and too old to use any money from it), read someone else's story while in a nice hot bubble bath eating strawberries dipped in chocolate...

12) What was the last movie you watched?
What's a movie? LOL! (GO CLAIRE!) I don't have any idea what a movie is either...Truth be told it was Wiggles dance party. (does that even count?)

13) If you were to win the Powerball, what would you do with the money (besides invest it)? Buy our own land and a better house that isn't a too small trailer (No, I don't want a huge house either), make the farm of my dreams (pigs, chickens, goats, cattle, sheep, horses, ducks, pheasants, I'm sure I'm forgetting something) with a great big vegetable garden and berry patch and orchard and pantry and canning cellar and...(oh wait there's other questions...)

14) What is your favorite plant or flower and why? Tulips, although I don't know why...maybe it's because they were always the first to come up at my mom's house which meant that summer was on it's way

15) What do you do to try to make the world a better place? Good question, everything I'd like to do I seem to be inhibited in some way. And I recycle for selfish reasons (Yeah...Lilly's college fund is growing).

16)If you could be friends with anyone who would it be and why?? I recently connected back up with one of my childhood friends and I missed out on so much that happened in her life. I wish we could have stayed connected. I guess I really didn't answer my own question though...James Harriet, I love a man who's willing to strip down and lay on a freezing floor for hours with his hand up a cows rear all for the sake of saving the baby and mom :)) awwww.....

Now, who can I tag that hasn't been tagged...(is that a rule?) Those who are tagged below - please feel free to join, if you wish, but no obligation! I like Claires idea of seeing if they notice...dah dum
1. Farm Dreams
2. Hidden Haven Homestead
3. Melissa's Ramblings
4. A Dairy Prospective
5. A Homesteading-Neophyte
6. A View From the Green Barn
7. Woodland Tracers!
8. Our Family, Our Life
I had to add one! Can't believe I came up with enough to nominate!
9. Goats in the Garden!

Phase one: rabbit hutch

2009-02-26T18:17:00.006-07:00

Well, I was right I didn't get any other projects done, I didn't even get the hutch fully done. I did get most of the inside areas done though. I still have to cut out the holes in the floor for the scrape out area, the holes in the floor for the nesting box, and cut the doors and put hinges and latches on them. Then I have to build the outside area. It shouldn't take as long though since it it basic 2X4 construction and wire and staples (I love my stapler!).

My pics of the mountains from this morning.

Oh...I also managed to get a picture of the cats...this is an everyday thing...Boots is orange and white, Romeow is just orange.

And finally...since I had the two rabbits living elsewhere at the moment I had to get new rabbits to test the new hutch. My new rabbits:

beautiful morning

2009-02-26T08:20:00.002-07:00

Well I got up this morning and the clouds are hanging low over our mountains and it's absolutely gorgeous. (will add pics later today) This is one of my rare days that I get to spend without my daughter and even half a day (this afternoon) without my hubby. He has a mandatory safety meeting at work so he has to go sick or not. The company told he he could be excused from it if he brought in a note from his coroner. Arn't they funny? Anyways, lovely day for me. I'm headed out and I'm going to spend the entire day out with my goats building the new rabbit hutch (it goes in the garden, easy for carrot tops and things to be disposed of ;) ). If I have time I may build them a hay rack or build the ramp for the milk stand. But I doubt I will, the rabbit hutch is promising to be complicated with every feature I want to put in. I'd like to put in a hole in each indoor compartment for scraping shavings out of, built in nesting boxes that slide in with rails under the bottom of them, and easy access doors for me but not for them (thanks Peter!), and I'd like to figure out a sliding door for the inside/outside hole so that they can be trapped into one or the other, and finally I'd like to give them lots of space but still have it mobile so I'd like to build the wire outside cages seperate and make it attachable/detachable. See I do custom housing lol. Wish me luck I'm off to work on it!

Vet blog...

2009-02-25T21:45:00.004-07:00

Okay you guys are driving me nuts with the outstanding number of comments on my vet blog, I just can't find the time to get them all read...

Am I wasting my time with that blog?? Or does someone actually like it??? What does there need to be more of??? What needs to be less??? Suggestions??

(link is on the right side at the top)

A walk on the farm/common names

2009-02-25T08:16:00.003-07:00

Well, this morning was so beautiful that I thought I'd take the "girls" for a walk. Tim is sick with the flu now so I let him sleep in. That meant of course that Lilly and the dogs had to go with me. Lilly woke up this morning looking like her bright beautiful chipper self and I thought a little fresh air (well bundled of course) would do her good. The dogs CAN'T stay home from a walk because they'll just die (ask them, they'll tell you). Oh, and my two outdoor cats have thought that they have to go on walks as well ever since we adopted them at the shelter. So there I am holding Lilly on my hip, walking through the pasture leading Ellie by leash (she's the easiest of the three to control and there's no outer fence yet) with the other two goats dancing, jumping, and skipping around me, occasionally dashing by crazily when one of the dogs comes tearing through. Not to mention the two orange things slinking around in the grass behind me, pausing only to stare at whichever other animal is trying to challenge their right to go on the family outing. One of these days I'll have to have my hubby take pictures of the procession when he's feeling better. I'm sure it's a site.

Names are a wonderful thing. Without them no one would come when called, or answer the teacher's questions, or anything. Sometimes they can be confusing though...for example...I've been looking at so many pictures of Claire's lovely little black and white, itty, bitty, goats that I walked out to feed my girls yesterday and promptly yelled at Sue to quit chasing Stuffin' around! LOL Another example, when I was younger it was not uncommon to have 3, 4, or even 5 other Jennifer's in my class at school. Imagine the confusion when the teacher says "Jennifer, can you answer this question?" and 5 of us answer at once, often with different answers. I always knew I wanted my daughter to have an uncommon name so that she wouldn't have that confusion. Not anything spectacular or plain odd and weird like Mercedes or naming your kid after a state or some other car. Just a good solid name that has been around but isn't normally used. So we named her Lilly Hope Baker. The kicker...in the year that we've had her we've probably been asked what her name was by some lady at a store somewhere about 30 times. Only to hear, "oh! I have a granddaughter named Lilly!". *sigh* We blew that one didn't we...oh well, I survived and she will too!

Lonely days

2009-02-24T10:38:00.007-07:00

Okay, so I can't stay quiet for long. lol I sometimes feel like I'm the only woman in the world. We only live about 10 miles from town but sometimes it feels like 200. My husband grew up here with his brother and we can go to town and all I hear from alot of people is "hey are you related to Rick". Rick (Tim's brother) has been married for about 15 years and his wife, Trish seems to be into everything here in town. Sometimes it feels like there isn't anyone left for me to be friends with because they all already know Rick and Trish and I'm just an extension of the family. It would be nice if my husband and I could go somewhere and be recognized for us and who we are. We are looking at joining a church here and we are getting a bit of that there now but even there his brother and sister in law come up often. Sometimes I'd like to pick up and move somewhere where no one knows them and we can be just us. My husband is rather quiet and shy though whereas his brother is really outgoing. Tim tends to blend into the background whenever he goes anywhere and consequently is liked by everyone but doesn't really have any close friends. Me...I'm bossy, pushy, and a lot of times come off as being a know-it-all even though I really don't try to be. So I tend to turn potential friends away without even trying or meaning to. All my life it's felt as though animals were the only real friends I would ever have and that no one else on earth understood. Raised in the city I always felt out of place and a bit of an oddball. Reading the other blogs on here, Goats in the Garden, Farm Dreams, Whispering Acres , and getting to be more every day, I don't feel so alone, I only wish you all were closer to where we are and that I could be friends with people like you in real life. (sorry, this isn't meant to sound down in the dumps either cause I'm really not, nothing ever sounds the way I mean it too :( )

Beautiful nights

2009-02-24T09:26:00.002-07:00

Have you ever been out feeding your animals after dark and looked up at the clear sky filled with stars and thought about how little and insignifigant you are and just felt incredibly lucky to be alive and to have all that you have?? *sigh* Thank you Lord for my wonderful family and the oppurtunity to care for your creatures. (See I can do short posts ;) )

Tour around a redneck wyoming farm

2009-02-23T09:43:00.029-07:00

First a thank you to Christy for teaching me how to get the pics in the right spot ;) Something so simple...
Isn’t it appropriate that a Redneck farm post would start with a redneck trailer house. This is the back of our plain jane three bedroom too small house. Note the lovely skirting, that is our universal building project cheap weathered plywood, bought used at auction.

Next we move on to the front of the domicile. Our house was just moved onto the area of land last March. Everything is dirt (actually bentonite clay). When it gets wet it is a muddy, goopy, slimy, slippery bog. One of these days when all the animals have their needs met I intend to build a mudroom on the house and plant grass. I’m also hoping that this summer we’ll have a little extra money (hahaha) and can gravel the driveway.

Next on our tour is the shed. What kind of redneck has an air-conditioned shed but hasn’t gotten it painted yet? My husband primed the shed while I was pregnant over a year ago. Then calving season came and work went on hold. One of these days we’ll have to re-prime it and paint it. It’s going to be barn red.

Then of course we have to start the animal housing. This is the cat’s house (private quarters deluxe). We’ll tour the inside in a minute. Small kitty door placed on the side to allow cat access only, also can be locked to allow easy access to kitty’s who need to take road trips. Note the lovely recycled tin roof, these guys have high class digs around here. Next to the cat house is one of two portable hutches made for different purposes. They were made to house turkeys over the summer and to also allow the guinea pigs (gone now) and rabbits to have somewhere cool to munch fresh grass in the summer.

And on we go into the tour of the inside of the cat house. All of the animal houses around here have been “personalized” to suit their occupants wants and needs. We have a cat tower (picked up at a garage sale), litter box shelf and storage, underneath we have three hidey holes for snuggling and keeping warm in the winter (some have carpet squares in them, some are filled with clean wood shavings), above the litter box shelf is the feed shelf with recessed bowls for low spillage. There is also a miniature black cat tower placed on that shelf. Then of course there are lots of built in shelves and scratching posts. And although they don’t play with them much there are toys available on the floor. The house wouldn’t be complete without it’s plexiglass windows, one on each of three sides. Available views of the countryside without setting foot outside.

This is the milking stand that we built for the girls. It is two feet high and will have a ramp up to it soon, Ellie is starting to have problems jumping to it. It will also have a new barn to house it in later this year. For now it either sits outside or for really bad weather is placed in the shed for milking. The girls are used to both. Some of you may question the bars on both sides, it was built with Ellie’s friend in mind when we had her. She wasn’t a pleasant milker.

This is the garden/goat yard. The exterior fence for our area of land can just barely be seen past the snowbank and tractor on the left. When the exterior fence is finished the girls can move out to that pasture area and will be out of my garden, now being fertilized rather well. The pile of dirt to the right of the tractor is my future dirt for my raised garden.

The east side of my garden houses my strawberries, fenced off from the goats of course. They live in the tractor tires and although most did not survive the planting of them last summer (I ordered late, planted late) hopefully we will still have a few this year. Behind them you can see our pallets of used plywood, only three and a half left. To the left under the silver tarp are the hay bales for the girls.

This is the old rabbit hutch, it featured two cages complete with indoor and outdoor areas with a sturdy roof. As you can see though it is rather long and lacking in width. It was an easy thing for the bulls to shove their heads under and roll it out of the way. Due to that there is one nonfunctional side now. Peter lives in the other side. New hutch plans are in the making and should be constructed soon.

This is Mopsy’s house, it used to be the guinea pigs house. Thankfully the guinea pigs were both gone and this cage standing empty by the time the bulls played demolition with the hutch. It will stand empty as a back up again after the new hutch is built.

The dogs have their specialized area as well. Since my hubby drove a mixer truck last summer we got leftover concrete at a reasonable price (free) and piecemealed the kennels together. So the dogs have concrete kennel floors. The main kennel is 20X20 and is wire mesh. At our old house we only had a 10X10 so they love the extra space and being able to all be in it together. They have a water dish, automatic feeder, and two dog houses (one private and one shared). The second kennel to the right is the isolation kennel. It is also concrete and has wire over the top of it as well to prevent breakouts. It is used for isolating sick puppy’s that don’t get to come in (haha), keeping strays in temporarily, or taking care of foster dogs (haven’t had that opportunity yet but would like to soon).

The pups show off their dog houses.

This is the current goat house. It was built for bum calves in case the ranch needed somewhere else to place them (sometimes we can have a few too many in the main part of the ranch). While being designed for bum calves the girls think that although a touch small it does them nicely. All three of them are able to cuddle cozily against each other in the back room and stay quite warm on cold winter nights.

This is the interior of the calf house. It features a separate back sleeping area and a dining room. The dining room comes complete with three holes for pans and buckets. The hole closest to the sleeping quarters contains the grain pan for the calves (on the milk stand for the goats). The middle contains the night time water bucket, and the left holds the loose mineral and baking soda pan. To the left of that an area has been blocked off to provide a hay rack (which the girls have busted and I haven’t fixed yet). The house features multiple windows for fresh air flow on nice days.

This is the playhouse that was given to us free. Before being placed against the shed it was rolled by the wind several times and several pieces are now broke. It is up for debate as to using it for a playhouse now or a nice weather proof area for wagons and toys. Next to it is our pile of treated 4X4’s for our building project skids (in case you haven’t noticed almost everything here is portable and will remain that way until we own land of our own, we live on ranch land) The shed next to it is used for baby item storage and animal feed.

Some of our building projects left (I bought this lumber in the summer while we had money for it) Under the tarp is the pig house and the framework for the outside chicken pen.

This is my trees (buried in snow) I put up a windbreak of pallets to protect them and they got buried. I’m thinking I needed to put up the pallets the next tree line back that doesn’t have trees planted yet. On the left is the second portable hutch. The rabbits clean the grass out of this area when there’s no snow.

Ta dah! My redneck chicken coop! We traded a contractor labor on it for an old vehicle that needed repaired and our door (laying in front of it, found by dumpsters) wasn’t good enough for him ;) so he bought a brand new door and window for our shabby plywood construction.

This is the inside of the chicken coop. The chickens will have their nesting box on the first level, the two roosts the next level up (are 2X2’s too big for them?) then I have a storage area for the spare rabbit and guinea pig cage right above that. The storage platform comes out farther than the others so the chickens shouldn’t be able to get up there. This is my first chicken coop and first chickens…advice please, what needs changed before we get them? They will have a small chicken door that opens into an outdoor pen.

The redneck wood pile. We haven’t figured out where to stack our wood in this big mud hole and we needed to try out new chainsaw so we cut up some branches.

finally, the nicest part of outside our redneck home. The front stairs. Aren’t they pretty? (my parents built them not us lol). And yes I need to pick up my garbage around the steps, one of these days when it’s warm I’ll clean out and stack all those buckets and take the trash to the dump.

Well that’s the official redneck tour of our Wyoming farm, we hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for more…

Now a word from our sponsors… (LMAO)

Goats, dogs, and rabbits.

2009-02-22T11:26:00.011-07:00

What do all these things have in common? Nothing but pictures lol. I thought it was about time I posted pictures of the crew. Forgive my disorganization, one of these days I'll have to have one of the more talented bloggers teach me how to get my pics exactly where I want them within the text. The pups are Kady (black and white), Sarah (red), and Nick (gray).

I just realized I'm missing cat pictures, guess I'll have to get them another day. The rabbits are Peter (orange and white) and Mopsy (gray). Mopsy should be due the 21st! Yeah!

The "girls" are Sue (white Saanen), Ellie (pregnant Nubian), and my newbie Cookie (Nigerian). Cookie's moms name was Oreo, can you guess why?? lol More about the girls for this post, Sue was bought here in town from a college kid who doesn't have time to work with all his goats anymore. She is shy but the bully. She wasn't worked with at all before I got her and was chose because she was the least scaredy yearling of the three. She now jumps on the stand for grain and will allow touching and loves while eating. She is still shy about loves other times but will come check your hands for grain. She wasn't bred this year so will be a two year old first freshner next spring. She is also starting to grow scurs :( will have to see what I can do about that. Should be lovable and sweet by first freshning and will be milked but I doubt she'll ever lose her shyness (I like bottle babies better!).

That said, onto Cookie. Cookie is five months old and just left her mother. She walks around the pen bellering for her when I'm out there but is fairly quiet when it's just her and the other girls. Sue wants to play with her but doesn't want to let her eat. Cookie was also not worked with and is far more shy than Sue ever was, I'll be happy with taking her babies and bottle feeding them, she won't get milked. We are still working with her though and can get her to eat a bit of grain out of your hand about 50% of the times it's offered. She'll eventually come around some.

Finally, my experienced child. Ellie is a two year old second freshner that is due on the 23rd of March YEAH!. This will be my first kidding although I did get to milk her buddy that she came with a bit before she was sold so some experience milking. Am very excited and looking forward to learning more about milking and making all sorts of fun things out of the milk. Also have already had a request for her doeling if that's what she has. :) All her kids will be up for sale as well and can be papered. She may only have one though she isn't very big. How many do you think she'll have? lol