Boundaries are an important thing.

Our cow had a traumatic birth this go round.  It effected her more than I realized.

I sent 2 of my daughters out to handle the baby, since this needs to be done at an early age so they trust humans, and the mother butted them.  This is a tame cow, handled all her life, and her heifer was not in any danger.  I ran down to check on things and to make sure every one was okay and she butted me in the knee so hard my knee is sprained.

A good reminder at how dangerous animals can be, even when they are trained.  Every one is okay.

That night I sat outside just observing my cows.  The quiet helps me to think and the quiet helps me to remember.    Cows fight, cows get along... Cows are cows.  It was an interesting day.

The next morning, I went to the milking parlor to milk the other cows, and she was waiting at the gate for "her turn".  I did my chores, and when it was her turn, I opened the gate.  I cannot move quickly on account of my sprained knee... and if I did not know her so well, I would not have trusted her.  But she is a good cow.  Something was not right before and she was communicating like a cow... with her head and 400+ lbs.

I opened the gate and she went in and jumped on the stanchion.  Nibbled at her pellets.... baby moooooed.  I stayed out of the way.  Mama stayed.  I did not fasten her to the stanchion.  I brushed her and washed her like the routine goes.  Baby mooooooed again.   I stepped out of the way...mama went back to baby.  So that was the end of that day.  No one got hurt.. no one was mad.  Cows don't get mad at each other.  They move on...but they only move on if the boundaries are respected.  She was fearful for her baby.

The next day, she was waiting again... just like always.... she was not nervous or upset... but did keep looking back to her baby.  When it was her turn, we did it again.  This time I hobbled up on my hurt leg and snapped her in.  went through the whole routine... and even milked out a quart of milk, not to make her dry.  Baby never mooooed, but mama stayed calm.  I unclipped her... and fed her in her pen.  Mama cow introduced her to the cows in the next pen.. then let me touch the baby.  What a difference a day makes.

Thanking God for Happy Endings

One of our Dexter cows was due last week.  I thought I had observed her in labor and had a child watching her.  She calmed down after several hours and did not deliver.  False alarm.

Fast forward a few sleepless nights and she is still pregnant... I decided that if there were no more signs I would call the vet on Monday.  After all, the cow was eating..pooping and peeing properly.... she is probably fine.  She is my favorite cow, so I am probably over reacting...right?

Monday comes and she eats her breakfast, like a cow.   Then the tail lifting starts.  I call at 8 to get an appointment as soon as the Dr can come.  10-2 is my time frame.  I watch her every 20 mins and the tail lifting becomes tail wringing ....10am....11am.... ugh.. lay down...pace around..... 12:00.  I decide that if he doesn't come 2:00 is the time I intervene.  I start tearing my house apart (nesting?)

Vet arrives at 1:00.  Cow is NOT happy about a stranger in her pen so we move her to the palpation shoot... The vet thinks it does not look good for the calf.. I am in agreement (Save my COW!!)

 Figuring out the problem.... feet are there...nose is there... probably not alive though....

 Applying the chains.... poor cow is MOOing and MOOing.... I am so sorry girl.

Vet has my youngest daughter help.

You can tell she is homeschooled and a country girl, no problem.. I will help and in my PJ's still at 1:30 (inst every one?)

 First signs of life.. feet are twitching a bit.... But will she be strong enough?

 DEFINITELY alive.... but we are still worried that she is not going to make it....

Here is the happy ending picture... she is alive and well.... nursing and walking within a half hour..

Now we need to name her :)

Ranch Spring Cleaning

In the spring we do a deep cleaning for all the animals' pens and beds.

Drainage ditches are repaired and redirected as the water problems are fresh in our minds and the ground is still soft.

 Inside our chicken and Turkey houses we bed them with rice hulls.  Rice hulls are inexpensive, sustainable, and do not cause mushrooms like the wood chips do during decomposition.

In the winter we do let the droppings under the roosts get deep.  It may sound dirty, but the deep rice hulls and the droppings actually keep the room warm for them.  It is also under the roost...where they don't walk around.

Even the goats like to help with spring cleaning.  

Planting Potatoes.. the way we do it.....

 When I was young we grew potatoes in garbage cans.   Potatoes are easy to grow, easy to come up with the "seeds" and the return on your time and investments is astounding.  With just a few garbage cans you can easily double the food you get from your garden with a product that is easily stored in the typical home.

I usually start with 5 or 6 inches of soil in the bottom of the can, and there I plant my potatoes.

 The potatoes will grow and as they grow you need to slowly over time add soil to the top of the green.  Yes, this means cover the leaves.  It will continue to grow....

 And you need to continue to add soil.....





How to Grow Potatoes 

Until it reaches the top..... then you just let it grow.

We try to pick the flowers off the plant as they come, but it does not always happen... you can begin harvest any time after they start to flower.. or leave them in the ground for a while.

The beauty of growing in the cans is that you can dump the whole can out... harvest the potatoes with a screen and use the dirt in rotation of another bed.  This plan keeps surprise potatoes from ending up in a bed, and rotation easier.

Sowing Seeds

I need a lot of time alone.  Most people don't understand that, but most people are extroverts.  I am an introvert.  By that I do not mean that I am a quiet wall flower.. I am not.  By introvert I do not mean that I do not get along with others, I do.  By introvert, I simply mean that I need time alone to re-charge, to process thoughts and to remember who I am.  

Today in my garden I was contemplating all the changes that happen so fast in life.  And I was contemplating the little patch that I call the "kitchen garden" as it is right off my kitchen.  My kitchen garden is small and is mostly comprised of herbs, spices and salad fixings.  It has never grown very well since the soil is not very good.  My husband helped me tear it all out and roto-till and improve the soil with amendments from our farm.  Things are growing much better there.

The thoughts I was having are this:  I planted and and fussed and cared over this garden for several years before my husband had the time to help me.  No matter what I planted nothing really worked.  This ends up being so much like a relationship.  You can plant the seeds and tend the land.. but if you are planting in the wrong place you will just end up tired and empty handed.  

I would not go so far as to say I am empty handed right now, but a recent turn-of-events coupled with hurts and losses of the past make the loss I am dealing with very painful.  There is a never ending misunderstanding between introverts and extroverts and I grow weary of it.  

The Ginger Beer Fiasco of 2013

Try it they said...it will be FUN they said....

It all started normally... I fermented the ginger....several days..... then I made the rest of the ingredients and bottled them up...... all was wonderful.... until it happened.

there we are trying to have a nice evening and from the kitchen comes KAH-BLAM and POOOOF and the sound of shattering glass then AGAIN and AGAIN!!  well my ginger beer exploded.... glass was EVERY WHERE not to mention the drink.....

Next time, I will try Honey Mead.

Bread Baking Day

I love time saving methods.  Any thing that saves time, saves money and is healthier is a triple whammy.

I was introduced to a book called Artisan Bread in 5 mins a day.  I LOVE it.  I made three types of bread this time:

grain grinder is in another room so we don't have to hear it

 whole wheat... and pumpernickel (to go with our sauerkraut coming soon)








And white bread, for company coming....