Hi Everyone,
This week has been fun and full----so full that I am glad that I kept notes all week. My square for Monday says that we butchered chickens----it seems like that was weeks ago, not just six days ago. Monday morning was bright and sunny, and my friend Alayna, from church, came up to spend the day with us. We have two older milk cows that have not bred for the last two years--Elsie and Carolina. When you are trying to cut costs, you realize that you cannot keep feeding animals that are not giving you anything in return. We considered taking them to the butcher, but was a little hesitant---just in case by some miracle, they were pregnant. To call a vet out would cost over $100. To have Alayna come up and draw blood would only cost us about $12, and it would give Alayna and I some nice fellowship time. Alayna arrived about 8:30, and we brought in Elsie and Carolina, and they were very cooperative with us. We all teasingly wonder why they just do not make a Pee stick for cows like they do for pregnant women, but then---do you know how hard it is to get a cow to pee? I do!! Once I wanted some to fertilize the garden with---and I couldn't get one cow to pee for me though I took my five gallon bucket out to the pasture and followed after many a cow. So, I guess that is why they do not have pee sticks for cows. It is easier to get blood out of a cow, than it is to get pee! Elsie was our second Jersey cow that we ever owned, and she is now 15 years old. She is strong and well built. She is the tallest cow we have, and when our old bull, Roy, died, the younger ones were not tall enough to reach her. Two years have passed, and Flag and Amos are both big enough to breed her. Not sure which one got her, but we shall know when her baby arrives who is the Daddy, because we know which day that Amos bred her. Carolina is about twelve years old, and she had complications with her last pregnancy---and would go in heat every three weeks. Recently though, she has been laying off to herself---with morning sickness. Did I let the cat out of the bag? Yes, the tests came back on Friday, and we are so excited that both Elsie and Carolina are pregnant. When are they due?----I will let you know when the calves arrive.
After we got the blood drawn from the cows, we set up to butcher chickens. Mom, Alayna and I spent the next few hours butchering, while Eli and Moises got the milking done, and Papa did the farm chores. Once the chickens were all butchered and soaking in their bath of ice water, we broke for lunch. After lunch we packaged the chickens and restocked the freezer with organically fed corn and soy-free chickens, chicken breasts, chicken legs, chicken backs and chicken hearts. We had thighs and liver---but they sold out very fast. We packaged chickens and chicken parts until 4:30. Alayna left around 4:00. Once everything was done and cleaned up, Papa did the farm chores and Mom and I worked on the stubborn taxes and receipts from the months that we lost due to our computer problems. The strange thing is that we cannot duplicate it to equal the taxes that we already paid. We can make the total earned correct---but the taxes are off. We are spending hours on the problem---and really getting nowhere.
Tuesday was an interesting day. As soon as breakfast was over, Papa and Momma headed down pasture to collect a ram that needed to go to the butcher. Thankfully all went well, and they were able to catch one without having to bring the whole flock out of the field and up the lane to the cattle panels. The irrigation people were here putting in over 5000 feet of water lines so that we can have water for the animals in all parts of the farm. While we were milking, Ana--the cow, decided to poop. It was not solid either, and as the chocolate pudding landed behind her, it splattered all over me. Moises was busy elsewhere, and could not come to the rescue. I sat there protecting the milk claws from the poo, while it splattered all over my dress, and on my face and neck. When she was done throwing grenades, Eli looked at me and said that I was covered---I knew, for I felt it hitting me! I cleaned up my hands, arms and face so that I could finish milking my cow. Once Ana was all done, I let her out, and asked Eli to come finish Taffy---who I was also milking when Ana let it loose. I then began to leave the milking parlor so that I could go clean up my dress. At that moment, Moises grabbed the water hose to wash up the mess in the milk stall----and the water came to a trickle and stopped. He announced that we had no water----and I looked out to pasture as the irrigation man was leaving the well pump in his golf-cart. To my dismay, he had just turned off the water supply so that they could tie in the new pipes. I headed back to the milking parlor and dunked my dress in my soapy bucket of water that I keep beside me to wash my hands in during milking. Then I used the bucket to wash down the stall that Ana had made a mess in. Steve came up and said that he had no water to finish watering the ducks and chickens in the yard---but that we had running water in the garage. So I quickly took my bucket to the house so that I could get a clean bucket of soapy water. The garage supply only gave me two inches until it too was dry! We finished our milking, and I wondered where in the world would we get water to wash the equipment. I considered the windmill pump, but first I went to Papa to see if he could fix all of my problems. So, he went and talked to the water men, and they went and turned our water back on. I saw the golf-cart head to the well, and when it left, I rushed inside the milk house to the sink to see if we had water----and WE DID! Eli passed by the window, and was surprised to see that we had running water. He knocked on the window, and I turned around with my face and arms dripping with water. After we got the milk filtered, then Eli and I moved the chickens from the walk in cooler to the walk in freezer. Next we bottled the kefir. Mom was home from the butcher by then, and she and Steve were busy getting all the mowing and weed eating done in the garden and the yard. Eli and I started on the eggs before lunch, and then we headed out to the chicken house to replenish the woodchips in the nesting boxes. Then I made yogurt, and we all broke for lunch. After lunch Eli and I finished the eggs. When the eggs were all done, Eli helped a little with picking up the grasses that Mom had mowed and then the work day was over. I headed inside to finish making some more Soothing Salve. The beeswax didn't get melted though, until it was time to cook dinner. So, after dinner Mom and I washed the salve jars, and did the dishes. Then I worked on putting the orders together for the Jacksonville delivery. Once the orders were put in, Mom made the receipts, while I poured the salve into the jars. Then it was bedtime!
Thursday morning Moises met us with----the bulls are in the garden! When the irrigation people had finished hooking up the water to the garden pipes, they did not close the gate to the garden. Thankfully the garden water was on in the raised beds---so that deterred them from going in there. The other beds are enclosed with a fence thanks to raising the pigs in them last winter. They did manage to trim up the sweet potato plants that had grown through the fence and into the drive lanes---which saved us some work. Another truck bed was planted in sweet potatoes, and they trimmed them up real good. I do not know if they will survive. They trampled through the pumpkin patch---but just the vines that had grown on the outside of the fence. The turkey that is nesting in the pumpkins kept her ground. The bulls really did very little damage, to which we are thankful for.
Thursday was spent preparing for company. My dear friend Bethany was bringing her family to the farm to celebrate her birthday. They live a little south of Atlanta----and while she may envy my lifestyle, I do not envy hers. City life is not for me. Thankfully Eli offered to milk for me so that Mom and I could declutter the kitchen counters of excess papers and jars, dust the living room, dining room, and the guest bedrooms. The house then needed to be vacuumed, and the bathroom needed to be cleaned. After lunch I needed to run to town for some fresh fruits and veggies, and to get some dog and cat food. Mom and Eli worked at removing some unwanted weeds from the garden. How come in the book "The Secret Garden", the garden is secret because the wall that surrounds it is covered with vines-----but our garden is a "Secret Garden" because of all the summer weeds like Spanish needle, dog fennel, and Poinsettia Milk weed that grow five to ten feet tall and not only enclose the garden---but cover the walkways too. Anyone looking for a good time of fellowship, detoxing and aerobic exercising? We offer it all for free! and with great amenities like good old fresh country air, gentle breezes, beautiful scenery---and a chance to enjoy God's Creation up close. The smells are fresh and aromatic--especially if you brush up against the apple mint or the rosemary; the sounds come from real birds; the touch---gets you dirty, but soap gets you clean; the sights are full of many colors (from flowers) and shades of green (from all the different kinds of plants); the taste comes in ice cold water, refreshing kombucha, or a fresh glass of ice cold herbal tea.
I got home from town just in time to get dinner in the oven. Bethany and her family arrived about 6:30, and we had a wonderful dinner of farm fresh Baked Chicken seasoned with home dried lemon peel, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then we made a salad, and had some farm canned potatoes that we served with butter and salt and pepper. Last on the menu was squash casserole---a recipe that uses canned squash real well, and happens to have been shared with me by Bethany. We were up until about 10:30 visiting, and then we all gladly retired for the night.
Friday morning Bethany, Elisabeth (6), and Nathanael (4) were all eager to help milk. Those two little ones were very eager, and very helpful. They could wash off counters, fold the towels, get the towel buckets ready, and help piece together the milking equipment puzzles. In the milking parlor they scooped up the feed for the cows, Bethany was able to help clean the teats, and they all wanted to strip out a cow---to see if they could get milk out. Toward the end, Taffy decided that she wanted to be very friendly and share a little of herself with us----a little of her "chocolate pudding". I managed to block the children from getting splattered, but Bethany got a few spots on her dress. Thankfully this time I had running water to wash my dress down. Bethany and I were both glad we were not wearing our matching pink jumpers that she had made us. After we all got the milk bottled, Eli joined Mom in the garden pulling weeds, and I took Bethany and her three oldest on a tour around the farm. Her husband took care of the baby while enjoying the swing on the front porch. On our tour, Sheba was nice enough to crawl out from under the chicken house to come and say "Hello". Down at the pond the children found an empty turtle shell---which became a farm souvenir. Did you know that turtle shells have layers? Did you know that once the outer layer has been removed, the shell is fit together like a puzzle? After the pond, we headed up to pick some chestnuts. Nathanael was the only one with pockets, and we filled his full. We then went to the garden and pulled some weeds---which would have lasted a lot longer, if we hadn't unearthed two very active fire ant homes. Bethany and I were both in flip flops, and I didn't want the children bit up either---so, we toured through the garden to see all that was growing (weeds, veggies, and flowers). It was then time for lunch. After lunch, Nathanael was exhausted---that is what good old farm work will do. He took a nap, and Bethany and I took the girls upstairs to the sewing room. The girls played with dolls, and I made a jumper for Elisabeth so that I could teach Bethany a few sewing tricks. We finished just in time to cook dinner. After dinner I had to work on my Gainesville orders and receipts. Then we were up until about 10:00 fellowshipping---and getting tired!
Saturday morning Elisabeth helped me set up for milking, and then Bethany, Elisabeth, and Emma (2) all helped me milk in the milking parlor. Mom had a funeral to go to, so Eli volunteered to come in and milk for her. Once the cows were all milked, we bottled the milk, and Bethany and Elisabeth helped me pack the Gainesville order. It was then 11:00, and Bethany's husband Stephen, was packing up the van to leave. I must say that she was blessed with a very considerate husband, for not only did he ask her what she wanted to do for her birthday, he actually brought her here, and he took care of the younger children so that Bethany could spend most of her time visiting. Then when it was time to leave---he cleaned the bathroom, and got the bed ready to be washed. All was cleaned and packed by 12:15, and then the order came to clean up the toys. Once they were put away, poor Elisabeth realized that it was time to leave and she fell apart. Earlier while we had been milking, Elisabeth was sitting in my lap while I milked the cow, and she turned around to me and said, "I am going to ask to spend my birthday on the farm." So, she had really enjoyed herself, and was not ready to leave. It was nice to get to spend time with Bethany---for although we talk every week, we have not seen each other in four years.
After they left I finished making the receipts for the Gainesville order, made a kefir shake for Papa and I, and then Momma came home. After Papa left I worked on laundry, and took a nap. Mom worked more on those stubborn orders that need to be put back into QuickBooks.
We had a wonderful time last week, and hope to have a good week this coming week.
Serving you with Gladness,
Tiare
This week has been fun and full----so full that I am glad that I kept notes all week. My square for Monday says that we butchered chickens----it seems like that was weeks ago, not just six days ago. Monday morning was bright and sunny, and my friend Alayna, from church, came up to spend the day with us. We have two older milk cows that have not bred for the last two years--Elsie and Carolina. When you are trying to cut costs, you realize that you cannot keep feeding animals that are not giving you anything in return. We considered taking them to the butcher, but was a little hesitant---just in case by some miracle, they were pregnant. To call a vet out would cost over $100. To have Alayna come up and draw blood would only cost us about $12, and it would give Alayna and I some nice fellowship time. Alayna arrived about 8:30, and we brought in Elsie and Carolina, and they were very cooperative with us. We all teasingly wonder why they just do not make a Pee stick for cows like they do for pregnant women, but then---do you know how hard it is to get a cow to pee? I do!! Once I wanted some to fertilize the garden with---and I couldn't get one cow to pee for me though I took my five gallon bucket out to the pasture and followed after many a cow. So, I guess that is why they do not have pee sticks for cows. It is easier to get blood out of a cow, than it is to get pee! Elsie was our second Jersey cow that we ever owned, and she is now 15 years old. She is strong and well built. She is the tallest cow we have, and when our old bull, Roy, died, the younger ones were not tall enough to reach her. Two years have passed, and Flag and Amos are both big enough to breed her. Not sure which one got her, but we shall know when her baby arrives who is the Daddy, because we know which day that Amos bred her. Carolina is about twelve years old, and she had complications with her last pregnancy---and would go in heat every three weeks. Recently though, she has been laying off to herself---with morning sickness. Did I let the cat out of the bag? Yes, the tests came back on Friday, and we are so excited that both Elsie and Carolina are pregnant. When are they due?----I will let you know when the calves arrive.
After we got the blood drawn from the cows, we set up to butcher chickens. Mom, Alayna and I spent the next few hours butchering, while Eli and Moises got the milking done, and Papa did the farm chores. Once the chickens were all butchered and soaking in their bath of ice water, we broke for lunch. After lunch we packaged the chickens and restocked the freezer with organically fed corn and soy-free chickens, chicken breasts, chicken legs, chicken backs and chicken hearts. We had thighs and liver---but they sold out very fast. We packaged chickens and chicken parts until 4:30. Alayna left around 4:00. Once everything was done and cleaned up, Papa did the farm chores and Mom and I worked on the stubborn taxes and receipts from the months that we lost due to our computer problems. The strange thing is that we cannot duplicate it to equal the taxes that we already paid. We can make the total earned correct---but the taxes are off. We are spending hours on the problem---and really getting nowhere.
Tuesday was an interesting day. As soon as breakfast was over, Papa and Momma headed down pasture to collect a ram that needed to go to the butcher. Thankfully all went well, and they were able to catch one without having to bring the whole flock out of the field and up the lane to the cattle panels. The irrigation people were here putting in over 5000 feet of water lines so that we can have water for the animals in all parts of the farm. While we were milking, Ana--the cow, decided to poop. It was not solid either, and as the chocolate pudding landed behind her, it splattered all over me. Moises was busy elsewhere, and could not come to the rescue. I sat there protecting the milk claws from the poo, while it splattered all over my dress, and on my face and neck. When she was done throwing grenades, Eli looked at me and said that I was covered---I knew, for I felt it hitting me! I cleaned up my hands, arms and face so that I could finish milking my cow. Once Ana was all done, I let her out, and asked Eli to come finish Taffy---who I was also milking when Ana let it loose. I then began to leave the milking parlor so that I could go clean up my dress. At that moment, Moises grabbed the water hose to wash up the mess in the milk stall----and the water came to a trickle and stopped. He announced that we had no water----and I looked out to pasture as the irrigation man was leaving the well pump in his golf-cart. To my dismay, he had just turned off the water supply so that they could tie in the new pipes. I headed back to the milking parlor and dunked my dress in my soapy bucket of water that I keep beside me to wash my hands in during milking. Then I used the bucket to wash down the stall that Ana had made a mess in. Steve came up and said that he had no water to finish watering the ducks and chickens in the yard---but that we had running water in the garage. So I quickly took my bucket to the house so that I could get a clean bucket of soapy water. The garage supply only gave me two inches until it too was dry! We finished our milking, and I wondered where in the world would we get water to wash the equipment. I considered the windmill pump, but first I went to Papa to see if he could fix all of my problems. So, he went and talked to the water men, and they went and turned our water back on. I saw the golf-cart head to the well, and when it left, I rushed inside the milk house to the sink to see if we had water----and WE DID! Eli passed by the window, and was surprised to see that we had running water. He knocked on the window, and I turned around with my face and arms dripping with water. After we got the milk filtered, then Eli and I moved the chickens from the walk in cooler to the walk in freezer. Next we bottled the kefir. Mom was home from the butcher by then, and she and Steve were busy getting all the mowing and weed eating done in the garden and the yard. Eli and I started on the eggs before lunch, and then we headed out to the chicken house to replenish the woodchips in the nesting boxes. Then I made yogurt, and we all broke for lunch. After lunch Eli and I finished the eggs. When the eggs were all done, Eli helped a little with picking up the grasses that Mom had mowed and then the work day was over. I headed inside to finish making some more Soothing Salve. The beeswax didn't get melted though, until it was time to cook dinner. So, after dinner Mom and I washed the salve jars, and did the dishes. Then I worked on putting the orders together for the Jacksonville delivery. Once the orders were put in, Mom made the receipts, while I poured the salve into the jars. Then it was bedtime!
Thursday morning Moises met us with----the bulls are in the garden! When the irrigation people had finished hooking up the water to the garden pipes, they did not close the gate to the garden. Thankfully the garden water was on in the raised beds---so that deterred them from going in there. The other beds are enclosed with a fence thanks to raising the pigs in them last winter. They did manage to trim up the sweet potato plants that had grown through the fence and into the drive lanes---which saved us some work. Another truck bed was planted in sweet potatoes, and they trimmed them up real good. I do not know if they will survive. They trampled through the pumpkin patch---but just the vines that had grown on the outside of the fence. The turkey that is nesting in the pumpkins kept her ground. The bulls really did very little damage, to which we are thankful for.
Thursday was spent preparing for company. My dear friend Bethany was bringing her family to the farm to celebrate her birthday. They live a little south of Atlanta----and while she may envy my lifestyle, I do not envy hers. City life is not for me. Thankfully Eli offered to milk for me so that Mom and I could declutter the kitchen counters of excess papers and jars, dust the living room, dining room, and the guest bedrooms. The house then needed to be vacuumed, and the bathroom needed to be cleaned. After lunch I needed to run to town for some fresh fruits and veggies, and to get some dog and cat food. Mom and Eli worked at removing some unwanted weeds from the garden. How come in the book "The Secret Garden", the garden is secret because the wall that surrounds it is covered with vines-----but our garden is a "Secret Garden" because of all the summer weeds like Spanish needle, dog fennel, and Poinsettia Milk weed that grow five to ten feet tall and not only enclose the garden---but cover the walkways too. Anyone looking for a good time of fellowship, detoxing and aerobic exercising? We offer it all for free! and with great amenities like good old fresh country air, gentle breezes, beautiful scenery---and a chance to enjoy God's Creation up close. The smells are fresh and aromatic--especially if you brush up against the apple mint or the rosemary; the sounds come from real birds; the touch---gets you dirty, but soap gets you clean; the sights are full of many colors (from flowers) and shades of green (from all the different kinds of plants); the taste comes in ice cold water, refreshing kombucha, or a fresh glass of ice cold herbal tea.
I got home from town just in time to get dinner in the oven. Bethany and her family arrived about 6:30, and we had a wonderful dinner of farm fresh Baked Chicken seasoned with home dried lemon peel, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then we made a salad, and had some farm canned potatoes that we served with butter and salt and pepper. Last on the menu was squash casserole---a recipe that uses canned squash real well, and happens to have been shared with me by Bethany. We were up until about 10:30 visiting, and then we all gladly retired for the night.
Friday morning Bethany, Elisabeth (6), and Nathanael (4) were all eager to help milk. Those two little ones were very eager, and very helpful. They could wash off counters, fold the towels, get the towel buckets ready, and help piece together the milking equipment puzzles. In the milking parlor they scooped up the feed for the cows, Bethany was able to help clean the teats, and they all wanted to strip out a cow---to see if they could get milk out. Toward the end, Taffy decided that she wanted to be very friendly and share a little of herself with us----a little of her "chocolate pudding". I managed to block the children from getting splattered, but Bethany got a few spots on her dress. Thankfully this time I had running water to wash my dress down. Bethany and I were both glad we were not wearing our matching pink jumpers that she had made us. After we all got the milk bottled, Eli joined Mom in the garden pulling weeds, and I took Bethany and her three oldest on a tour around the farm. Her husband took care of the baby while enjoying the swing on the front porch. On our tour, Sheba was nice enough to crawl out from under the chicken house to come and say "Hello". Down at the pond the children found an empty turtle shell---which became a farm souvenir. Did you know that turtle shells have layers? Did you know that once the outer layer has been removed, the shell is fit together like a puzzle? After the pond, we headed up to pick some chestnuts. Nathanael was the only one with pockets, and we filled his full. We then went to the garden and pulled some weeds---which would have lasted a lot longer, if we hadn't unearthed two very active fire ant homes. Bethany and I were both in flip flops, and I didn't want the children bit up either---so, we toured through the garden to see all that was growing (weeds, veggies, and flowers). It was then time for lunch. After lunch, Nathanael was exhausted---that is what good old farm work will do. He took a nap, and Bethany and I took the girls upstairs to the sewing room. The girls played with dolls, and I made a jumper for Elisabeth so that I could teach Bethany a few sewing tricks. We finished just in time to cook dinner. After dinner I had to work on my Gainesville orders and receipts. Then we were up until about 10:00 fellowshipping---and getting tired!
Saturday morning Elisabeth helped me set up for milking, and then Bethany, Elisabeth, and Emma (2) all helped me milk in the milking parlor. Mom had a funeral to go to, so Eli volunteered to come in and milk for her. Once the cows were all milked, we bottled the milk, and Bethany and Elisabeth helped me pack the Gainesville order. It was then 11:00, and Bethany's husband Stephen, was packing up the van to leave. I must say that she was blessed with a very considerate husband, for not only did he ask her what she wanted to do for her birthday, he actually brought her here, and he took care of the younger children so that Bethany could spend most of her time visiting. Then when it was time to leave---he cleaned the bathroom, and got the bed ready to be washed. All was cleaned and packed by 12:15, and then the order came to clean up the toys. Once they were put away, poor Elisabeth realized that it was time to leave and she fell apart. Earlier while we had been milking, Elisabeth was sitting in my lap while I milked the cow, and she turned around to me and said, "I am going to ask to spend my birthday on the farm." So, she had really enjoyed herself, and was not ready to leave. It was nice to get to spend time with Bethany---for although we talk every week, we have not seen each other in four years.
After they left I finished making the receipts for the Gainesville order, made a kefir shake for Papa and I, and then Momma came home. After Papa left I worked on laundry, and took a nap. Mom worked more on those stubborn orders that need to be put back into QuickBooks.
We had a wonderful time last week, and hope to have a good week this coming week.
Serving you with Gladness,
Tiare