Holy cow!!

Who is this handsome stranger staring into my camera?

As I was taking this picture I'm saying to myself,
"Don't look into his eyes! Don't make friends, don't make friends, don't make friends!"
As for now he is still scared of me, so I'm not attached....yet.

Like I really need anymore drama in my life, my dear sweet husband had to go & bring home a meat cow.
He calls me a couple of nights ago, while I'm out on an errand, & informs me that he bought me a "gift".
Once I learn how much it cost, & that it's a steer for meat, I realize this is really more for him than myself.

You see, I lean a little towards the vegetarian side, but do occasionally consume red meat. Especially if it's organic.

So, I call myself a "flex-itarian", LOL.

Here's the problem, I also become attached to animals & it makes it hard for me to consume them.

Now, I'm not one of those people who "won't eat anything with a face on it", or "won't eat those cuddly animals because they are so cute" & I haven't joined PETA. (No offense to anyone who feels that way) Though I am very much against animal cruelty.

I believe God put certain animals on this earth for the purpose of feeding us. And I think some are quite tasty!

I do have issues with the way people treat them, feed them, medicate them, kill them, etc.

So, my choice not to eat meat on occasion actually extends to other species besides cows.

My flexitarianism is based on what I have learned about feedlots, growth hormones, GMO (genetically modified organisms) corn & soy as feed, inhumane killing practices, unsanitary processing conditions, etc.

Do you see where I'm coming from?


Want healthy beef? Research it & raise it yourself.

More & more I am convinced that grass-fed beef is the healthiest for you. What I wouldn't give for an acre of beautiful lush grass!

Others here are not educated about grass-fed & frankly don't give a darn because "they love corn-fed beef!" Little do they realize what a "corn only" diet does to the cattle's health when they are being fattened up for slaughter. I won't go into gory detail, it's pretty gross.


So, my dilemma is...that this cow is so darn cute, he's gonna make it hard to eat him.

Whatever will I do?


Toodles

From Stud to Dud

Poor infertile boy.
This is our Ameraucana rooster who has had around 30 hens all to himself for the last couple of months & can't seem to fertilize any eggs.
The hens have been sitting faithfully, poor girls, but to no avail. I have candled the eggs on several occasions only to find plain old eggs, no babies developing.
So, he has gone from "Stud" to "Dud" status. (I googled it to see if there was any advice, apparently not many people have discussed this topic.)
I shall have to bring "Old Blue" back in, to do the job properly, I suppose.
Old Blue is our Blue Andalusian rooster who has been sequestered in the rabbit hutch until the county fair, so his feathers would be in show condition.
Such a shame too, I was hoping for more color in our flock. Old Blue has fathered so many of our hens before that half our flock is already grey. The Ameraucana's also lay blue-green eggs & I was hoping for more hens to lay those pretty gems.
What's a farmer to do? lol

On another note, my mom is starting a new radio show called "Blondie & Red".
(She is "The Crazy Hat Lady" http://barbaracblog.blogspot.com.)
Today will be our first attempt at going "on air". But, since we are still trying to figure it all out, it may end up being an entire hour of nothing, lol.
Mom wants to talk about whatever pops into our heads, which a lot of times is quite comical. Since I am always on the go, I will be the roving reporter.
And, since mom says I "will talk to anyone", I will also be interviewing people as I go about my day. (I like to think I have a gift for gab, but also a God-given talent for being able to connect with people.)
As of now, we will be on air every Monday from 11am to 12pm.
My husband doesn't know about this yet, or the fact that I'm a blogger.
Soon I will have to let the cat out of the bag.

Toodles!

Helen Yeller, burnt oats, & nachos?!?

Ok, I am a procrastinator.
Time to play catch up ....

Here is a pic of our newest addition to the farm, her name is Helen (as in Helen Yeller). Her previous owner named her & I thought it was so funny we kept it.
I found her on Craig's List & drove over 100 miles round trip to check her out. The price was so reasonable I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add another milker to our herd.
After driving so far I told my son (he's the one in the pic), "You know we are going to end up taking her home after coming all this way."
I'm glad we did, she is such a sweetheart.
She fit nicely in the backseat of my Toyota Yaris (yes, you heard right, lol) & was so well behaved all the way home.
She has been a joy to have around, though she is dry & not producing milk anymore. We will be breeding her this Fall in order to have milk & babies next Spring.
She is our first Nubian/Alpine, so she is a Nupine.

On other notes, I still don't have the garden started, ugh. But, I do have sproutlings I have started indoors & must get in the ground SOON.

My mom & I visited an organic garden market last weekend, & made some new friends. They will be selling our extra eggs there, and all proceeds go to charity. Check out their blog: http://justicegardenmarket.blogspot.com.

Our Farmgirl's Chapter met & decided to sew a quilt & sell it for charity.

My husband & youngest son went fishing for the week of Spring Break, so it will be nice to have fresh fish!

Oh Darn!!! I just realized my pan of oats was burning on the stove while I'm blogging. Guess it's a peanut butter bagel for breakfast again. (hope I can salvage my pan, lol)

St. Patrick's Day was uneventful. It happened to fall on a Wednesday this year, which is a church night for us. They serve dinner before Bible study, but corned beef & cabbage was out-voted, so nachos it was. I think this was the first time in years we didn't have the traditional meal, maybe I will make it this weekend.

Off to milk!

Toodles!

Love is in the air...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day! :0)

This is a picture of a heart made of soap suds. I was washing one of our milk jugs out the other day, & when I went to rinse it out.....there was the heart. I couldn't resist taking a shot of it & sharing it. It was completely unintentional, so I like to think of it as a little love note from God.

On another note, Coco, our Nigerian Dwarf has been in heat. That is the only time you hear her vocalize & boy can she yell! It didn't seem to help having Dinner in the next pen.
I can't wait until the end of April when we will be breeding her to my friend's buck. If all goes as planned she will deliver end of September/beginning of October.
We hope to have milk from her for our customers. But, she can be quite jumpy since she wasn't socialized with humans before I got her. And, she is so low to the ground I will practically have to lay down to milk her, haha. (I hear Nigerian milk is sweeter, but I also think it depends on what they are fed.)
Nigerians breed year round, which means nearly every month Coco is yelling her head off for a couple days. The rest of our girls are Purebred LaManchas, which only have a breeding season in the Fall. I guess that makes things a little quieter & easier.
We are planning to add more milkers to our herd. My husband says he wants an Alpine, which surprises me because he has always said we have too many! Lol

We shall see :0)

Toodles!

Sleeping "Booty"

Do you ever have those days when you just want to stay in bed? I suppose alot of people do, but I feel that way everyday. I love my sleep & it seems there is never enough to go around.
I am by nature a "night owl". I used to stay up late & sleep in. (sounds like most teenagers we know) I remember when I would think "the night is just getting started" & it was 10:00!
Well, life can change that.
I married a "morning person" & had children. That combination right there will kill any chance of sleeping in. What was I thinking?
All kidding aside, as much as I love my husband, I loathe "morning people". Why do they have to wake up so cheery & wake everybody else up? Namely the "night owls"?
So, now I find myself at a time in my life when I could sleep in more & more frequently if I so choose. The boys are old enough to get themselves ready for school, & even get themselves there without my assistance, if needed (they should be, they're teenagers). And, I could prepare my husband's lunch the night before.
So, what's wrong with this picture?
Well, I have to admit, I would miss the mornings with my husband & talking with him before he leaves for work. I wouldn't know if the boys ate breakfast, or if they dressed warm enough.
Oh yeah, and there's that "farm" thing, darn!
Having farm animals is a wonderful experience, but you don't get to sleep in when they have to be fed & milked, the eggs need to be gathered, and you have customer's coming by. Trust me, I've tried it.
I always feel like I've missed out on something, everybody has gone off to work & school, & the animals are waiting impatiently to be tended to. You don't want to milk a seriously ticked off goat, they cop an attitude & end up kicking over the milk bucket.
Then, if the customers are coming by in the morning, you are rushing trying to get everything done before they arrive. And, if you only manage to get the very least done, you still have to finish after they leave.
The chores seem to drag on forever on those days, and then before you know it....it's time to do it all over again before bedtime.
Alas, I fear I must continue this charade of acting like the "morning" person I am not. Things just seem to go a little smoother.

Nap anyone?

Toodles!

A mercy killing

Well, I had to do my first "mercy killing".
Poor Nemo needed to be put down. I hated to do it, it broke my heart, but her wing was turning funny colors. It may have been only bruising, but I feared it was gangrene. Next time, if there is a next time, I will do things differently. I hate to lose a good laying hen.
Still no "dangerous" critters in the trap. I'm beginning to think Dinner may have pushed her into the fence & her wing got caught, then some predator probably came along and took advantage of her state. I will probably never know.

Vampire Bunnies?

Well, Nemo is still with us, even though I now fear we should have treated her amputation with more care. I'm wondering if we should have pulled the skin over the exposed amputation site & stitched it up like a real amputee. Then again, doctors don't just do that, they also close up the arteries etc., no loose ends y'know. We could have cauterized the exposed wound but my husband feared it would have caused the hen even more pain than she was already in.
What to do, what to do, sigh.
I guess all I can do is pray & wait. In addition to the treatment I mentioned yesterday, I have also added pro-biotics.
If she gets an infection now, we will be unable to save the meat, as the infection will no doubt have entered her body. Ugh! I hate it when things like this happen.

Still nothing in the trap, cat-wise anyway. Just bunnies. And, unless they are rabid flesh eating vampire bunnies, I highly doubt they are the culprit.
My mom wonders if it could be a bobcat. It could be, since we had one running through here a couple years ago. It might have to be something stronger than a regular house cat, to have pulled hard enough to bend the fence. If that's the case, my trap is too small.

Sorry nothing much to report from yesterday, as I was in the dentist's chair being "tortured" for 2 hrs., & when I got home all I wanted to do was sleep. Well, I can't say I was really tortured, but nobody likes going to the dentist.
And, then they hit your wallet. It's like adding insult to injury.
Not to mention the fact, that I do NOT like the Epinephrine to be added to the Novocaine & the dentist had forgotten. Whoa! Was I feeling sick! Not a normal reaction, I've been told.

So, housecleaning today, & customers coming by.
And making yogurt & cheese, maybe I will take pictures.
At some point I am planning to include recipes, & a bit on "farm fashion", LOL.

Toodles!