Waiting for Spring

And waiting...and waiting... It's almost here. The weather is consistently warmer and we haven't seen freezing temperatures in weeks but experience tells me it's still too soon to plant. In the meantime, we were gifted a 6'x8' greenhouse. It's sitting in a heap on the east side of my house waiting for one or two parts before it is assembled. I hope to have pictures of it up here next weekend. We also bought a tiller to make preparing the soil easier to work. It's sand which is easy enough to turn but gets too weedy and that makes it difficult.

We also bought fencing to keep the goats out of the front yard. As soon as it's up I will be able to plant strawberries and blueberries. I will also have the greenhouse on the goat-free side of the fence so there's no chance for them to spoil my peppers yet again.

Garden Plans!

Winter is irritating me a bit this year because Texas is a land of huge temperature fluctuations. We cannot plant the garden despite the 70+ degree temperatures we are currently experiencing. Why? Well, just two days ago the high was 37 and the low was 18 degrees. In fact, it was like that for three days yet tomorrow should reach nearly 80. But I want to plant! I have bought large packets of sweet corn and peas and broccoli and lettuce and I want to plant at least the broccoli, lettuce and spinach but I'm afraid of planting it too early and I always mess up the cuciferous veggies. I am planning though, not just whining about not being able to plant yet. 

In fact, we have a LOT planned for the garden this year. We are replacing all the garden fencing, buying a gas powered tiller and expanding the garden. I have a layout planned for both the front and rear garden. We also plan to fence off the front yard to prevent goats from entering it. That's why I can actually plan to plant stuff in it!

I am adding citronella grass, tansy, and wormwood to the front to hopefully discourage some of the flying insects. Also hoping to replace the fig tree that the dear, sweet pup we adopted (four years ago this month) thought was a great stick.

For the vegetable garden we are adding some new things and companion planting this year. The new crops are corn, melons, strawberries, and asparagus as well as new perimeter plants to help with bugs like nasturtium, comfrey and marigold. The old staples are sunflowers, beans, squash, peas, peppers (hot and sweet), tomatoes, garlic, onion, lettuce, broccoli, and spinach. 

(The guilty puppy AKA Smokey)

I am still fairly new at gardening so feel free to reply with tips or insider knowledge of the zone 8 region. If some of my ideas are bad or the plants won't thrive then please let me know before I spend the money on them. I am always open to suggestions!

And Life Resumes...

The holidays are over. The tree is gone. The beautiful red, and gold, and green Christmas decorations that I love so much have been put away. We spent the day working and playing as a family. Some fencing was repaired, cinnamon rolls were made, some cleanup from Saturday's get together with friends. In the evening we made meatball subs and played Uno Dare. We enjoyed it. I'm glad too because today was the last day of my huband's holiday break and tomorrow we return to school (still homeschooling) and he will return to work. There's an emptiness for me on this day every year. I love Christmas! I love everything about Christmas! People tend to be more giving, more caring, more tender toward each other. It's almost miraculous when you compare it to all the bickering and complaining dancing its way across social media networks everywhere. I don't pretend to be completely innocent of contribution either. But at Christmastime so much seems to be put on hold while we focus on giving each other the best gifts. Gingerbread house contests and cheesecake bakeoffs replace political hate and satire. Shopping for others replaces sitting at home in self pity. Friends gather together instead of hiding in their homes full of social anxiety. Families gather together and catch up on each others lives. At least mine do. We go to church and celebrate the Jesus' birth and sing the Christmas hymns that I love so much. It's my favorite time of year and that's why I always feel a void when it all seems to slip away into the mundane routines of daily living. 

Maybe this year I will meet my goals and fill that void with spiritual and healthy things. Or maybe I won't. It's a little hard to say what will happen tomorrow, but today I succeeded and that's enough for me right now. 

Hello 2017

First of all, happy new year! It would appear that I am not a very consistent blogger. I'm sorry for that. No, I really mean it. I really do wish I were more consistent but, in keeping with the theme of the blog, this is my life. However, I am trying to improve so please be patient. I am a work in progress.

Life has progressed, as it tends to, since I last signed on. The goat kids from the last post were sold. The mamas weren't. In fact, we have added another doe to our herd...

Meet Miss Beaux Jangles

...and sold off all of our boys. Since then I have been leasing bucks for breeding purposes. We had a beautiful group of 11 kids born last spring. It was fantastic! I was so proud of my girls! There were no complications and I only had to help one doe with an extra large buckling. Three out of my four does had triplets. My first freshener (that's what we call a doe who has never had kids) had twins. (Congrats Miss Beaux Jangles!) Between the four does we had six doelings and five bucklings in all. I definitely felt blessed.

We also gave up chickens in favor of ducks. The aerial predators here have a particular taste for chicken (and cats!) and took out our flock one at a time, leaving all the ducks behind. So, ducks it is. I don't mind, I always preferred the ducks anyway.

 I took a job at a day care to help make ends meet for a while until my husband got settled into his new job. Then we took on a babysitting job at home for a while. That's finished now and the only people kids I have to deal with are my own. I feel like my whole universe just sighed.

In February, just before the kidding season started, I hopped into our truck with all five of my people kids (some people call them children) and drove to Oregon to visit some family and friends. IT WAS AMAZING! Over the next few days I hope to make a post per day to relate some of the most important events of 2016, including more than one dedicated to our amazing vacation that I am still gushing over. 

Mini Pies!!!

Kidding season is over!!!  The last doe, Moonpie, kidded early this morning while we were snuggled up in our beds.  All went well and we have an 8# doe and a 9# buckling!  

The only thing left is to decide what to do with all these kids and then all that milk!!!  I am already getting two gallons a day from my other two does.  I made chevre for the first time the other day and it is wonderful!!!  We seasoned it with taco seasonings and have been eating it on crackers for three days now.  

I had planned to make cajeta today but completely forgot about it after all the excitement.  Now it's too late in the day.  Oh well, there's always tomorrow!  

Babies!!!

Yeah! Heidi freshened and all is well!  I could not have asked for a more perfect delivery.  I'm so proud of her and it's her first freshening too.  What a goat!  

Here they are!  Two bucklings.  We're calling them Rudy and Rowdy.  They were 7# 14oz and 7# 4oz and doing well.  I haven't decided what I want to do with them yet but I expect they'll be wethered and sold.  I'm still happy to have them and proud of their mama.

The chicks are two weeks old now and growing the way cornish rocks do....fast and fat!  Yesterday I went to pick up some fencing. You know I can't walk out of Tractor Supply  without some chicks these days but, since they were out of the cornish rocks, I brought home four ducks instead.  I'm trying a couple of new breeds, khaki campbell and swedish.  We'll see how I like them.  They'll have to be pretty good to trump my preference for pekins though.  Below my daughter is holding what I hope is a rouen but could possibly be a mallard.  Time will tell!  I love having all these babies at the house!

My Yogurt

Since Ginger freshened we're getting about 12 pounds of milk every day.  Moonpie still gives us about a half gallon (she's about 300 days into her lactation) and Ginger is giving us about a gallon a day.  We don't drink nearly enough milk to go through all of that so I am finding other things to do with it. 

 I was giving it to the dogs on occasion but Hershey has gotten so fat he looks like a giant tootsie roll so now they're all on a diet.  Instead we make yogurt, lots of yogurt.  The kids eat it for breakfast, for an afternoon snack and they mix it with jam and freeze it into popsicles.  It's a very popular item here so it makes sense that I should make an entry here.  So here it is!  

How To Make Your Own Yogurt:

Ingredients:

milk (whole milk from the grocery store is fine but not ultrapasteurized. I, of course, use raw, fresh goats milk)

a few tablespoons of plain yogurt (this is for the culture so make sure it's REAL yogurt)

Directions:

Pour milk into a large pot 

Heat to 180 degrees over medium heat

Set timer for 25 minutes

Stirring occasionally, keep milk at 180 by removing from heat source and replacing as necessary (usually every few minutes I take the pot off the burner and wait, then put it back on)

Place a large bowl of ice in the sink

When the timer goes off place the pot into the bowl of ice

Stir the milk often until it reaches 110 degrees

Add yogurt (3 tbsp is a good amount for a gallon of milk)

Stir

It's important to keep the mixture at 110 degrees for 8-12 hours.  I do this a few different ways but the easiest way was to put a warm blanket into a cooler, set the pot (with a lid on it of course) into the cooler and wrap tightly with the blanket being careful not to spill anything.  Close the cooler and don't touch anything for 8-12 hrs.  

When this is finished you will have a plain yogurt.  We sweeten it with honey and vanilla, jams, frozen fruit, canned fruit, etc...

Spring Forward

So yesterday was the day our government decided to torture us by forcing the majority of the nation to wake up an hour earlier.  You know what, I don't care because it means SPRING IT ALMOST HERE!!!  

We couldn't be happier after last week's freeze.  On Saturday it was 80 degrees then the temperature dropped Sunday and Sunday night it started sleeting.  In this picture Nathan is ice skating Monday afternoon.  There is no snow on the ground, it's all ice.  The roads were so slick in the five mile radius around our house that my husband was very nervous driving to work.  All up and down the highways trees are split or fallen because Texas trees are not used to so much weight from ice.

Hopefully there won't be any more hard freezes before spring!  

Our garden is almost ready for planting.  I have many seeds sprouting indoors right now but I have refused to plant anything in the garden before the fence is complete.  It's not complete yet, but nearly.  It's the main goal for this week.

The back of it is finished but the front is not.  We haven't gotten the chicken wire around it yet either.  We use it to keep rabbits and chickens out.  But the chickens are penned this time.  The goal:  72 tomato plants, 12 jalapenos, 12 bell peppers, 12 banana peppers, 12 kale, 12 spinach, 12 lettuce, 12 broccoli, many cucumbers, many carrots and 80+ onions.  We are also starting a fig bush, a raspberry plant and a blueberry plant.  I hope to get a few more each of those.  Possibly a little ambitious.  Oh! I almost forgot the 12 green beans!  Those are very important.

RIP Burger Boy

Hamburger Helper (aka Burger, Burgermeister, Burger Boy) December 2012-March 2014

Last night our "little wether" Burger lost his battle with an ongoing health issue.  In his short time with us he wormed his way deep into our hearts.  He will be dearly missed.

Goodbye Burger Boy

Horses and Fences

It happened a few months ago but I only recently posted about the stray horses (mules actually) that wandered into our yard.  We fed them hay and carrots and it was all sweet and innocent and silliness....until they came back today.  Actually, they were completely gentle but the goats thought they were giant goat-eating monsters.  I had to call the police for help contacting the owners for pickup before frantic goats trampled pregnant does.  Poor Doritos jumped three quarters of the way up his fence then climbed the rest to get into the chicken yard and away from the mules who were reaching over the fence to eat his hay.

Thankfully no goats were harmed in the making of this story.

We have many projects lined up for this spring season.  One has been a long time in the making.  Our buck pen expansion.  With the help of a friend we were able to buy lots of materials for this job without spending lots of bucks. ;-)  (I really am a dork.)  Today we finally accomplished the task!  They have spent the last year sleeping in a large doghouse but now they have a proper shelter.

As well as some more wiggle room

This will really help them when summer comes because it also casts more shade into their pen.  I worried for them all last summer and even made makeshift attempts at providing more shade but they never seemed to work out well.  There is a tree next to the pen but....well, if you'll just look at the left side of the pic you can see that little line near the fence...yep, that's it.  Oh, and they ate all the leaves off of it.

Babies and Bellies

Spring is around the corner! I'm so excited too!  This was a cold winter, even if there wasn't much snow.  Spring on the farm means many things...gardening, projects that have been waiting for warmer weather, and...babies.  It also mans Girl Scout cookies but that's not blogworthy.

I've been chomping at the bit waiting for the chicks to arrive at the feed stores.  I plan to send many birds to freezer camp this spring.  I also plan to order a few more ducks to replace some we lost last summer, mostly due to my own lack of knowledge and experience.  Since we have to start somewhere....

Here is our first batch of herb-roasted chickens.  They may be nuggets now but they will be cornish hens (or rooasters) later.

I'm anxious for my next adventure, kids.  Not my five kitchen raiders but goat kids.  We have some very big bellies around here.  

When I say anxious I really mean I am worried.  Ginger had her date this past fall and settled (goat raisers terminology for becoming pregnant) but had stillborn twin does.  It was our first freshening (goat raisers terminology for goats giving birth---actually refers to freshening the milk supply) and hers so not only were we heartbroken but it left us worried about future deliveries as well.  Next up....

Heidi!  Goat bellies don't get much bigger than that!  (Ignore the laundry basket.  No, I was not doing laundry in the goat pen.  It has been repurposed for holding hay.)  She's due about March 12 and I'm hoping for twins.  I'm afraid of what a single kid that large would do to her.  Every time I look at her I am reminded of when I was nine months pregnant....ugh.  Poor girl.  

Now, Moonpie was never supposed to be bred.  We woke up with the buck in the pen one morning and ever since we have wondered whether or not she settled.  There has been no blood test to confirm but.....what do y'all think?  That's an awfully big belly for someone who hasn't settled but then, sometimes goats really do look like that.  Especially does who have freshened a few times and Moonpie has freshened three times prior to this.

As soon as we have kids on the ground I will post some pictures.  It's also safe to bet that I'll be posting more pictures of adorable baby chickens, ducks, and with any luck....geese! (we have eggs in the incubator but that's something else I'm new at and it seems somewhat complicated.)

And the Goaties...

Alright, it's time for updates on the goaties.  Remember those tiny kids we bought home a year ago?  Not so tiny anymore!  Here's a handsome shot of our first goat, Burger.

He's gotten a lot bigger this past year.
Do you remember Heidi?

Be on the lookout for pictures of her kids in March.  Isn't she a pretty girl?  I can't wait to see her babies.

Then there's Ginger.  Sadly we will not be getting any babies from her this year but we're already looking forward to next year's breeding.  

Sam came to us when my mother had to move and couldn't take her little wether with her.  He's been here for months now and is quite the little character.  He's one of the most playful goats I've seen.  I don't like keeping lots of wethers though, so I'd like to see him rehomed.  In the process of looking for a new place for him we have discovered that there's a lot of people who say they want goats but don't really want them.  That's fine, I refuse to send him off to people who won't love him so, for now, he can stay.

Enjoy this pic of him with a chicken!

The Holidays

I love the holidays! Usually Christmas is my favorite but this year I volunteered to host Thanksgiving for my family.  I LOVED doing it!  We had such a good time and good food too.  I think I may host it again this year.  I hope they won't mind me putting this family picture up since it has already been all over Facebook.

For Christmas we did something really outrageous.  We went to my sister's.  I know, that doesn't really sound very outrageous but every year we either go to my in-law's house or we host something so when my sister suggested it we were a little apprehensive.  After discussing it a while I realized that I, except for a Christmas Eve dinner I hosted several years ago I haven't spent a Christmas with this sister since we were kids.  So I called her back and agreed to the plan.  I'm so glad I did too!  We spent the day cooking together and talking around the kitchen and I realized I missed that a lot more than I knew.

Two days after Christmas we crossed something off of my bucket list.  For years I have been wanting to see Six Flags Holiday in the Park.  Since we bought ourselves season passes with our tax return we decided this was our best and probably last opportunity.  Here's the kids being photobombed by the man in the background.  The trip was every bit as beautiful as I had hoped!

  

We had some fun with the goaties at Christmas too.  Here's a couple pics of Ginger since she was the most cooperative.

Invaders of the Fuzzy and Furry Kind

I guess I should apologize for taking such a long time to post anything.  I can't use the excuse that the holiday season has kept me so busy since it's been over for a month now.  There's a lot to catch everyone up on.  To save confusion I will use separate posts.

The Fuzzy Invaders

About the same time I last posted I bought half a dozen pullets to aid in egg production this spring, along with them I purchased some pekin ducklings.  So far the pekins have been my favorite of the ducks but I plan to get some rouens this spring.  This is them at a few weeks old.

This is them today.  Well, some of them at least.  The little duck in the middle isn't new.  All the little leghorn chicks will be in a stew later.  Sorry, that's what happens when you order birds online and they add "chicks for warmth".  I don't need that many males.

Go ahead and save this pic for future Easter pics. Yes, I took it. Yes, the baby was on me snoozing away.  I'm starting to wonder if the ducks are here for eggs and entertainment.

We had some furry invaders too.  We went out to feed animals one morning and these four were in our back yard just hanging out so we did what anyone in our situation would do.

We brought them carrots.  I love living out here!

We Be Jammin!

Remember the beautyberries?  We found more!  Then I got the bug...the jam bug.  Since then I have made banana jam, strawberry jalapeno jam and hot pepper (jalapeno) jam.  Yum!  Here are some pics of it all.

I didn't get any pictures of the banana jam but it was wonderful!

The first batch of beautyberry jam.  The second went into half pint jars and into the cupboard.

The jalapeno jam.  Love this stuff!

And my favorite, the strawberry jalapeno!  Yum!

Christmas is coming soon and I have a feeling some family members will be getting jam this year!

Berries and Moonpies and Cookies Oh My!

Beautyberries

(Beautyberries)

The other day Nathan brought this into the house and asked what it was.  Since I encourage this kind of curiosity I immediately snapped a photo and put it on facebook.  Soon after I learned it is called beautyberries.  It's good for a host of things like mosquito repellent and other things but we are going to make jelly.  Probably tomorrow.  

(Ginger)

After Ginger's less than stellar first date with Ditto we decided to leave her there for a while so they could get a little closer.  She has been there since then...until today!  This morning I went and picked up our expectant mother and brought her back home.  She seemed very happy to see us though, like most goats, somewhat unhappy with the change.  She'll settle back in soon enough though.  I can't wait to see her kid(s)!

She brought a friend home with her.  A pretty doe with a bad cookie habit!  Her name is Moonpie and she is quickly earning the nickname Cookie Monster but I will gladly fill her belly with cookies if she fills my fridge with milk!  

(Cookie Monster...I mean Moonpie)

I have one other doeling that is almost old enough to breed.  She has reached the favored 80lbs mark but I was advised to wait until she is 8 months old and that sounds good to me.  Better safe than sorry!  Miss Heidi will just have to wait a little longer but poor Doritos may not be able to take much more of her flirting.

Here's a lovely picture of some of my girls...

Okay, more than one.