spring in the midst of winter

We walked the park trails for 3 hours today. All 3 kids, me, and of course Dawg. He had to have all his matted long hair cut off before he was to have a bath. His underbelly was one big mess! This nice weather has afforded the luxury of his kitchen sink bath and mommy special haircut.

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This is a stone wall at our treasured local state park.
As you can see, it has a Green-man water spout with a small catch basin just under it. That then over flows into a 2 feet deep 4 feet wide cement pond which in warmer weather has an abundance of green slimy frogs. No frogs today but a visit is a must. This is lil' mans favorite spot. I wonder why....During our long trek through the woods-did I mention I pulled that wagon through ALL the trail paths- the last quarter was a bike trail- We saw a group of deer!Their coats were so light in color, they almost appeared grey. They were running about 100 feet to the side of us. A few stragled behind and seemed curious of my little group. Then Dawg started to whine because we dared to stop in the middle of his walk. So off they went. I was so happy the kids were able to see such a large group together. Before spotting them, we had seen their tracks all over the trails. The even made a comment how they wished they could see them. And their wish came true.
So how nice was it here in Northeast Ohio on December 29?
Yeah. And its usually half that this time of year.
Look what else we found on the trails... ..
Makes me wonder what the next few months of weather will be. I mean come on! A snake! In the midst of winter. In the north. Just sun bathing outside. Above ground. In winter!
SSSSSSweet dreams,
Tammie

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Hey kids, its show and tell time!

Ahhh, what warm furry coats the girls have grown. So thick and long. I so badly want to brush it for them- if they would only stay still long enough for the underbelly and udder area to be brushed! Of course that won't happen for Lady Chia. She has mud caked all over and she is starting to get a bit knotty in spots. She is a mess! ( she is on an incline so her belly has smooshed downwards with gravity- makes her look very pregnant at that! Maybe she really is a fatty...

The urge for a hot soapy bath is so there! I know they would love to be pampered and massaged. They receive the indulgence during nicer weather on the back deck with many buckets of warm water to rinse with. Is it even safe to do? If I WERE to do it, it would be in...yes thats right.. in my house bathroom tub. Thats where the dogs (remember Jack is their size!) get their baths. I would worry about her getting a chill or worse- somehow escape and go run through the house making havoc at every turn! Could you imagine?! Jack would be trying to play & chase her which she would of course run away- in turn would make Jack even more happy. Goat berries all over the place, mud on the floors and furniture... Well, maybe that bath can wait a few more months...
On to Clyde.

He flew for the first time today! Well at least the first time I have seen "him" fly. Right out of the chicken pen and about 8 feet high into the air above me-not a comforting sight when you see the wingspan and those nails! Which brought my attention to Clyde's age. If the muscovy's were 2 weeks old the day I bought them from auction, then that would put my last living Muscovy at 5 months of age. So how do I know if Clyde is really a Clyde and not a Bonnie? Looking back at pictures, Clyde was the bigger duck but that method is not 100%. I have searched for more information on their red knobby head masks they acquire as they mature. When will Clyde be full grown? WHen will the knobby mask be at its full or half way point? Clyde hisses. No quacks. Clyde is loving. He follows me around and eats from our hands- never mistaking a finger for a worm.

But how long will that last before I know a drake or a hen? I have heard of the drake mating behavior when they have no hens around and turn towards chickens and humans. Not looking forward to it. I would like to know Clydes sex so I can give him a harem or acquire another buddy for "her". Any hats ya' wanna throw in the ring? For your further inspection, the above 2 photos are frm this very afternoon.
Now onto little Cleo. I do believe I know the ending to the goat soap opera. Are you ready?drum roll please...........
~ If it was Buddy, at the latest , the due date would be in 2 weeks. Now does this look like a goat due in 2 weeks?~

Looks like Rudy is going to be a daddy! Somehow the 2 girls have slimmed down on their sides! Maybe they were bloated for awhile due to a food change? Maybe it is from deworming them a few weeks back. They have been able to free range due to all the mild weather so lots of excercise and walks had by all. I have cut back on the pen size ALOT for the winter. I want to keep them close to their cabin and in my site from the house.Babies due within the first 2 weeks of March 2007! The only spot unseen is the chicken coop roof which now serves as their play ramp and leads to a small section on the opposite side of the goat home.The chickens now use just the arched roof as their coop and have a new run (pen) which blocks the goats entry to the coop and blocks the chickens entry to the goat cabin. I gave away 5 chickens ans now am down to 5-my 2 oldest hens, 2 roos captain feather and turken, plus the 1 young turken hen. Daisy and root beer shake have found a new home too-the same as the chickens.
Oh, I almost forgot! Guess who got a camera for holiday?
Yep- the pictures you will be seeing from now on are from an Olympus FE-170!
I have yet to get the crisp great pictures with 6 mp, but I have only had it since the 24th. I love the quality so far, but the time lapse between pictures SUCKS!
I will not look the gift horse in the mouth...
sweet dreams,
Tammie

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Feels like Spring spirit & the goat soap opera

Picture of the bluebird egg Panda & I found this last spring. It feels like Spring out here and I do believe the tree's are being fooled too. I see buds! Wanna see more pictures of bluebird eggs and their life? Here is a link to a flickr slideshow . Beautiful pictures showing the daily new egg and then the hatching all the way up to the second brood! Go check it out and get that Springy feeling...

~Goat update~I dewormed the girls with safeguard on Saturday. Chia was getting rather fat and something just told me to do a fecal on her. Well she seemed to have an overload. I do not know why or what caused it. They had been dewormed weeks before going to the breeder and I thought they would be fine until after the new year. Since giving her the medicine, she has slimmed considerably in her girth. I thought worms made 'ya lose weight not gain it. But she has had the opposite happen. Gain girth with worms lose the girth as she loses the worms. Looking back at when she first came to us, I realize Lady Chia has even longer long hair now (a winter coat) and is Fat( winter insulation plus growing young ones). She is due to kid around March 15th.
Now onto Cleo. Here it is the last half of December. So -IF- Cleo is pregnant from Buddy, she would be 4 months along at the earliest. Remember, Buddy went to auction in August. Now I have tried to keep a good record of her belly and udder region in photos. And you also must consider she is still growing herself. She will be 1 year old next month. Yes I know, many of you may be clucking tongues at her age and possible young pregnancy. Keep it to yourself please. I did say IF she was pregnant from him- not that I bred her to him! Follow along...
So back to the subject at hand- I am having strong doubts on the buddy daddy thing. Now if she was bred by Rudy,
then that would put her at only at about 2 1/2 months. The problem here is, she is "showing" in her belly growth already. Now I say the doubting of Buddy because Cleo has not had any other development to her udder region since I posted the picture here.
Confused yet? Well so am I. Who knew a goats pregnancy would be so hard on the human! The suspense is killing me. It is like watching a soap opera drama unfold. Who did Cleopatra conceive by? was it Buddy the strong country Amish buck? Or was it the regal young stud Rudy? Only time will tell and I am horrible about waiting.
Goat filled sweet dreams
~Tammie

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A costume clothes rack & in need of hop rhizomes...

I have been planning to make a rack to hold all of the costumes I have made for the kids (i.e the cloaks, capes and dresses). I could not find a single example of what I wanted until I came upon this:
Now this is what I am talking about! Of course the price tag is not what I deem affordable ($433) but I have sharpened my carpentry pencil and came up with a how to for my own. I sat at my desk looking over all the details and have come up with a supply list in the cost range of $30. I am speaking of inexpensive woods but not plywood of course. It is very simple. Once I sat and let those gears do their thing. I love that feeling I get when I get in my creative mind frame! Such a rush! The flat top will hold a Rubbermaid style chest drawers for all the accessories like jewelry, wigs, and the yarn beards I am making now. This is for their Winter holiday gift. Panda will also get her very first sewing machine! My MIL picked it up at BJ's warehouse club for $40- a singer brand but she said it looks like the ones she sees for $90 elsewhere. I also picked up 3 wooden kid flutes. I am making (hand sewing) them each a flute carrying bag to go with it. My machine is down for the count along with my camera so here it is the week before & I am trying to brainstorm the back up gifts.
So on to the hop Rhizomes. Anyone have extra they are willing to share? I have not been able to successfully grow any from seed. They just sprout then die. So I am in hopes that someone may have extra rhizomes they are looking to be rid of (or so kindly share?) . Its a long shot but stranger things have happened. I would like them for planting in the old house front garden bed-see picture on right- where I am putting in some white trellis walls with an arch in on them. I hope anyway the arch holes will fit around the glass block window areas so as not to block the light out. (message break- The picture is from this last Spring. The walls are brick facing over cement block so have cracked from the bad job the workers did- it is not my foundation cracking. The rust stains are being removed along with the old handrail which has caused it. It will be replaced with a newer railing. now back to our message). All that wonderful rich soil will be trucked up to the hill and placed in my raised garden beds. The area will be flattened and grass seed applied. The bricks and stones have all been removed thanks to that sunshine and 60 F degree weather yesterday! I have some metal garden chairs (4 green ones) I will put there to give a garden nook spot. I also hope to put a trellis wall blocking the side view and grow some hops up it for a more private area. The trellis walls with the arch's were so nicely given to me from my neighbor who lives behind us. He is a single dad of a 14 year old who has been dubbed "tractor boy" due to his midnight rides around the yard with his many yard tractors. He has a sleeping disorder- he doesn't sleep! Seriously. He sleeps a few hours and that's it. Dad barely sleeps too. But wonderful neighbors! I will miss them when we leave. So I am off now to pick up my wood supplies and stop at the thrift store for more accessories.
"Hop's" dreams,
~Tammie

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Rambling about changes

The Fall of 2003 project

Do not let these sun filled days fool you! Cold weather is here and despite the great urge to play outside, the inside of the house is calling. There are walls to be painted- every wall in the house actually. Floors to be tiled, along with a certain little boys room which needs carpet laid -since in a recent fit I ripped it up after discovering the dogs and said little boy were having- dare i say it- a pissing contest!
So while the homestead on the outside sleeps, the inside must get a reawakening.
I started the walls back in 2003. Yes 4 years ago. The kitchen and dining room have that 80's style wall board with a floral print on it. I filled every single line notch on every wall which took 3 days which then required the sanding that took 2 days to do then a month to clean up from doing it.

I have not accomplished much more then those walls since our purchase of our home. Other then ripping out carpets and painting, I have only messed with the outside and looking back at pictures from that first year, I have to say I like the way it looked before the barnyard on our hill.

Now I bring this all up because this house will go on the market this coming Spring. I have tried to view everything about this place from an outsider view. I have realized, I am a rarity. There really are not alot of people who would want the animals or have used the property as we have that would pay the price we need and am told this place is worth. Changes must be made and spaces opened up once again.
I think the old chicken coop/ goat house/ back to a chicken coop has to go. Along with all my perimeter fencing. I must focus more on the resale of this home no matter what it takes. I will not get rid of my girls but may need to cut down on the hens. All of last years spring chickens except the turkens, must go. I may try to offer them with Mr. Echo in the Spring. I know, I know- what about Clyde?! No way am I getting rid of my Clyde! I will cut back to 2 roosters and 3 hens and then cross my fingers that the "slow" turken hen will go broody for the start up of a turken flock as we had hoped for before all the other chicks were umm played to death with by dear old Jack.... That leaves Captain Feather Sword and Turken for the roos. Then for the hens we will keep our 4 year old hens Fletcher and Dr Seuss plus keep the young turken hen.
All of the animals will be kept in the goat cabin come Spring and share a run. I will put a small covered corner box for the hens to lay in and goats to lay on- preventing the eggs from being smashed plus put an old wood ladder in there for night time roosting. Lots of other changes will be made but despite my downsizing, I will NOT go without my gardens.
That reminds me,I need to build some compost bins for that big mound out there. I am sure it would give a more tidy appearance to any potential buyers. Just the idea of having to appear like we do not live here gets me all hyped up. The Captain and I, 3 kids with only 1 of school age, 2 dogs of 2 extreme difference in size, 2 goats with babies on the way, 5 chickens and a Muscovy drake all live in this house with a first floor being 1,120 square feet with a walkout basement being of the same sq. footage plus the property of 1.18 acres. I need to keep all of this clean and great looking for any potentials who drive by or for that spur of the moment call by the realtor.
Yep. Sounds like a ball of laughs to me.
I seem to have left out a tidbit. The captain is looking to get a promotion which involves a relocation to Hagerstown Maryland. (its on the east coast of the U.S) So I have been trying to look around just over the borders in W.V & Pennsylvania for ideas on where we should look for land and build a home. Haggerstown is within 20 miles of both of those state borders so we could live in which ever we like. But it seems prices there are not any better then here as I had hoped.
Frog has finally nursed herself to sleep so I am off to do my night time cleaning.
Sweet dreams
~Tammie

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Beautiful Henny. How I adore you...

I made a trip to the Tractor supply for more feed. They had all their holiday gift items out for all to drool over. I received the flyer in the mail which included a sample of barnyard cookie cutters by Ann Clark Ltd.
They showed a rooster in the sample picture but my local TSC did not carry it. Instead they had one titled "The chicken". It is similar in shape to the "Henny" pictured above by Warren Kimble. I loved it and thought of how wonderful it would be to decorate our tree this year with barnyard cookie cutouts!

The children and I made a big batch this morning with our new cookie cutter and the recipe for butter cookies on the tag that comes along with the cutter. I added a bit of food dye to get a brown orange color similar to our old hen Fletcher. pictured above in the far left

I also added cinnamon and ginger to the batter. They came out beautiful! So perfect in fact I tried to get that darn@* camera to work but I do believe it has finally gave out. So most likely there will be no new pictures until after the holidays. We will purchase a new one as a family gift after the new year (hopefully).
My baby brother, "Army", will be sent a package of home baked goodies containing some of the Henny cookies with frosting, Some of the Apricot chocolate Rugelach, and a few others to soothe his sweet tooth from home. He has been ordered to take an officer training during the holiday time frame so will not be home to enjoy my cooking/baking. That's o.k though. He promised he would make a trip home after the new year towards Spring time.
So it seems we are to receive warmer weather and no more snow for a while. I am sure the girls will be happy since I have shut them into the goat cabin for majority of the day. I let them out for an hour or two after or before their feeding times since it has been less the 20 degrees F. Clyde & Mr. echo have been very diligent about keeping themselves as companions to the goat cabin too. They rarely associate with the chickens except at feed time. Otherwise they are hanging out with Chia & Cleo.
So I am now off to let the chickens roam the entire pen for the day. After all, Zoning is closed on the weekends...
Sunny dreams,
~Tammie

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My curb side find and the belly drooping Cleopatra

Yep. Old wood frame 8 pane windows! There was a total of 5 sitting on the curb, but these 3 were the only ones fully intact. The 2 on the ends are of the same size and the middle one is somewhat bigger. I have plans for these babies. Big plans. But first I hope to get a winter family picture like this (picture a family of 5 and a duck named Clyde sitting on the bench) ~I made the bench ( and another one) last Spring from scrap wood I picked up at a lumber yard. ( I also made my own milking bench from all the scrap wood, which I shared on my old blog but not on blogger- so it may pop up in the spring with me *hopefully* milking one of the girls). I collected fallen pine branch's for the swag. The children and I made snowflakes to decorate our front windows and had some left to decorate these ones for our family winter picture. I sprayed a mist of water onto the windows and VERY quickly put the tissue paper snowflakes onto the wet spot. I then misted them again and of course it being 20 degrees F outside, they froze very nicely.
I misted the rest of the window space to give it a frosty illusion for the picture. There is a 100 feet tall pine tree there behind the windows too.










So now you know about my find that I have been absolutely giddy over. You see, These kind of finds are rare in my area. I know. I have been looking for years to find some like these. Now you may ask- "Farmchick, what exactly do you plan to do with your great find of windows?". Well I plan to repaint, distress, and add hardware to turn them into useful household decor. I plan to make one into a shelf and mirror. Imagine the big one rectangle shaped. Glass replaced with mirror and an old distressed piece of wood at the bottom for a shelf with angle cut end caps. Then I will add coat hooks along the shelf bottom. The other two will be used for pictures of our little unusual family and barnyard. They too will be repainted/repaired - but add some color then distressed and maybe add hinges so this can sit in a corner or something like that. Maybe I will add all B&W/antiqued pictures of us and the animals to add some character to our home corners.
But its first use is as you see above. It will be used as the winter picture backdrop. And yes. Clyde will be in our holiday picture card this year. I think it adds that extra greatness. LOL.
~On a different note~ Cleo is looking plump in the belly. Instead of wide it seems her belly droops. She does have some side belly to her but the droop is getting bigger and bigger. Her udder area has not shown anymore growth then what I have shared before. I will keep you posted on this. I find it very interesting that nowhere online do they share such information. They show udders in full milk or just before giving birth when they have swollen up. But no where does it show the gradual development in a goats udder during pregnancy. Chia of course has had babies before so she has the much larger teats and saggy skin around her abdomen and udder area. Lots of wonders in detecting various things in the animals. Words and descriptions just do not help when you know not what is in comparative for the situation. I have noticed many different changes in her "nether regions". From swollen and dark one day to flat and pale the next to only change to swollen and pink the next. I have yet to feel any babies. I am rather sad about that. I had really hoped to feel them moving by now. On Chia, she just has too much loose skin and chubbiness to her for me to even try for more then a minute. So my friends, I leave you to ponder and possibly share your ideas on what I should do with my trash to treasure find. I would love to hear what you would do with the 3 of them.
Sweet dreams
~Tammie

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My unusually unusual family's First Snow of the last month 2006

We have our first official sticking to the ground snow fall in our part of Ohio. This is the reason why I moved to my birth state- for the 4 seasons. I would dream of future days filled with snowman building and snow ball fights with my children and husband to be followed with hot cocoa and fresh from the oven cookies. Then a cozy fire to snuggle up by with my Honey.
I detest the cold biting wind which keeps us in the house and when there is no snow on the ground to go out to play in during the winter months.
I love the snow but truly cannot stand the extreme.

I am looking into the child size snowshoes and a pair for the adults in our house. I would of course love to make our own but the materials are either not attainable OR too expensive. It seems they are not of a bad price, I just like making stuff and showing the children the work it takes to result in a product. Here is a rather fascinating site that has loads of how to's for snowshoes and some great sleds!
If only I had more time...
I guess this means no more outdoor Yoga then, huh...














I am off to snap some pic's of my ummm curbside find from yesterday. I cant wait to start on this project but the holiday gifts have priority right now.
Have a great Snow filled day with your honey's!
Snowy Dreams
~Tammie

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Yes, it is down again!

I am writing you via the wonderful Library. My modem which is 4 years old has finally succumbed to "old age". I am told that it is a good amount of time for one with children who are around it on a regular basis along with pet hair and dust that rarely get dusted off.
I do appologize for the comments not being posted- I do have my moderating of comments on to avoid nasties. I have ordered the new modem and will have myself back on line as soon as possible. I have a terrific "curb" find I cant wait to share. Actually it was discovered on my way to write this very post! I made the trip back home to drop it off and ventured back here.
Please hang in there. I have not abandoned my little blogging adventure.
~Now I must be off to enlarge some templates for holiday gifts.
Enjoy your week.
~Tammie

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When was the last time you explored a library?

I Do not have a printer. I do not bother with it since I go to the library and sign in on their computers(free- no charge for use but limited to 180 minutes a day). From home I email myself links to things I wish to have printed out such as templates for sewing projects like this one Stella shared. I save time but also money. It cost a nickel to print out one sheet in B&W. I then take them to their copy lobby and enlarge them to the proper size needed as the site states. A quarter for color copies and a nickel for B&W copies in the lobby. I did a search on the Martha Stewart site for "templates". That word brought hundreds of various patterns using her engine search. Lots of cool little things such as a cloth doll kinda like magic cabin has, Baby kimono shirts, felt slippers, and baby mary janes too! I have most of my handmade holiday gifts just from her site. The projects are easy and the patterns are free. Thanks to Stella, I have completed my list just from her mentioning the woolly animals pattern- which is also on the to make list- just hope this machine cooperates until the new year.

Of course the children LOVE going to the library. They have a huge area for the children's library located on the 2nd floor. They have a very large glass enclosed story room complete with night sky (little lights on the ceiling for the star covered sky) . Lil' man has never stayed still for story time when I have taken him in the past. Here, "guitar guy" librarian has him mesmerized.He calls it music class. Actually, I am entertained by how great it is. He sings a song, play's his guitar, then reads a story. Then sings a song again with the kids. This is a get up and interact story time. Not your boring sit cross legged, fold your hands and be be silent type. It caters to how children at this young age behave. They need movement and need interaction or forget about keeping their attention. They even have a "story tree" set in the back central area. If you stand under the tree and whisper, the people not close around you can still hear what you say. The kids love it there. I love it there. And I highly encourage everyone out there to check out more then just a few libraries around you. It is amazing the resources they provide. If they do not get utilized, they are discontinued. Why spend money on the stuff if no one uses it. There is an amazing world open to you by just stepping through the doors. This particular one is 25 minutes from us and we pass 2 different ones along the way. It is out of our county but is open to anyone in the state of Ohio for checking items out.
I am sharing this with you because this is where I have drowned myself in knowledge since I became pregnant with Panda. I went searching for books on Home birth which opened the world of natural living to me. Of course I always had the urge for the back to the land life but that was it. I did not have a clue where to start.This is where I picked up my very first gardening book along with my first how to care for dairy goats and backyard poultry. I could go on & on with the many wonders this library has opened to me but I will just leave you with my encouragement. It is an amazing high tech loaded experience & information adventure. The best part is, it's free.(o.k I am not counting taxes here folks!)

Sweet dreams
~Tammie

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My first sewing machine, The goat walk & a hike.

The captain may have the look of toughness to him but he is a real softie when it comes to me. One example is how I acquired my first new sewing machine. It was the Winter I was pregnant with Panda which was the year 1998. The captain, after many beers hanging with the guys, stopped off on his way to pick me up and bought me a sewing machine. (tsk tsk-he was chastised for his driving under the influence & I drove us home.)This is the one the sales lady at Wally world recommended. Very basic. No special add ons. No chimes or whistles. But it worked great for my home sewing and it was NEW! Here it is the winter of 2006 & a new one is a must very soon. There are a few little glitches but at the moment, the big one is the thread dial. I cannot fix the dial myself which is the thread tension dial (all the way to the left). To have it repaired would cost 1/3 of a new machine. So I am hoping The captain will go for another one of those guys nights, drink his beer and have me drive him to the local Sears for my second, new, sewing machine.






~ Today was a day filled with walks. After dropping Panda off at her bus stop this morning, the younger 2 children & I decided to go for a walk. Not just any walk. But a walk up & down the road with The girls.
Frog rode in her wagon while the girls were on leash's. Lil' man held Cleopatra's leash while I held Chia's. They munched on all the green pine clusters they could reach along the way. Of course as soon as we got to the dead end, they practically dragged us back to their pen. Chia is very strong despite her misleading flabby waist line. She really looks fat to me. Her stomach still bulges on the sides and sway side to side when she runs down the hill. So the walk was good for her and will need to become more regular for them both.
After locking the girls in their pen yard, we loaded the wagon into the car & drove to our most favorite State Park. Which still remains a secret to secure the safety of our Blackberry patch.
We went in search of pine cones and herbs for the fire starters I previously mentioned. I hoped for small pine cones but could only find the long and slender kind. I was able to harvest a nice bunch of lavender plus a small clutch of rosemary & thyme. I need to let them dry out, but hopefully they make a nice addition to the winter fires.
~ I do apologize for such horrid pictures lately. We have a Nikon cool pix 2200 which is about 2 years old. The lens cover has come off leaving the glass exposed constantly. It is very temperamental on opening/lengthening too. I have to hold it at an angle just to get it to work when it does get in the mood. It has seen better days. When asked by my in laws what we would like for the holidays( despite my "nothing, just a nice day", they squeezed out of the captain our need for a new digital. Fingers crossed, my pictures will be better after the holidays.
I am off to flip through my Pine tree seed catalog, (their site is a bit quirky on downloading if it even opens.) which arrived a few days back. I know its early but that just gives me more time to dream & perfect the the outcome. Any one know a good source/variety for Mustard seeds?
~Sweet dreams
Tammie

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Tag. I'm it...

I have been tagged by Phelan the Homesteading Neophyte, to tell 5 untold truths. I have tried to think of what I should reveal about myself without altering my wonderful image. I thought about this while I added a gate to the back of the animal pen. I thought of this as I restructured the opening by the goat cabin. I thought of this as I washed the dishes. I just cant think of anything to interesting. I am rather boring now that i have children.

**************1. To go to sleep, I rub my feet together at night unconsciously. I never realized I did this until my husband asked me to stop. It was preventing him from getting to sleep..

2. Not only did my last name change when I married The Captain, I changed my middle name too. ~It use to be "Jo".

3. I have a ladybug tattoo on my derriere (my only tattoo) that I got when I lived in Pompano beach Florida with my much older then me boyfriend (13 years older to be exact).

4. Which brings me to the I always had a thing for older guys and guys with blue eyes. They had to have at least the blue eyes. Strange how I married a brown eyed guy who is 2 1/2 months younger then me.

5. I very much dislike short hair on woman.Period. I smile with great admiration when I see any older woman with long tresses. To me, long hair is sacred to a woman. I can't stand to see woman cut their hair as a supposed sign of power in the business world and as a "easy to care" method when they have children. That's what a ponytail or bun is for.
I never do these things because as you already know and have seen, I like to gab (write) but have never been tagged. (But since I was tagged by Phelan, I thought I would participate & postpone my normal days post.) I am told it is something to do with the fact my maternal side is Irish (2 generations from the American arrival) and my paternal side is Cherokee Indian/ Irish. What a combo ay!?
So I tag who ever may be reading this
& feel like participating.
****************************I am off to try my hand at fixing my sewing machine. It has not been working very well this past month. I believe it has something to do with the tension dial wire. My children like to mess with my machine when I am not looking so the wire has been pulled tight. The top thread in the stitch is not loose enough and the thread is not flowing. Hard to explain but I have a new machine on my please may I have list. Right next to the new digital camera that needs to replace my falling apart temperamental one I have now.
Later~
Tammie

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been so busy...

It been awhile since my last posting but my computer was down and being repaired from a malfunction in the memory card. Add in all this great 60 F degree weather and I have not had the time to play much on here.
So Panda had her "Cinderella Ball" at school. She looked so beautiful in her dress, which happened to also have the brand name Cinderella! I am a bargain junkie so of course the dress was only $25 (US) at Burlington coat factory. I found the exact dress in the mall for $89 and a consignment for $99. Her tiara was bought for her first Ball in Kindergarten and cost $8 at the Flower Factory. She wears it every year to the Father/daughter dance at school. Of course the dresses go to a second hand store afterwards. I usually get half of what the dress sells for new. In this case, I may get what I paid for it since the main stores had such high price tags. *p.s* I just noticed this picture makes her look like she is wearing lots of makeup! She only has on natural color eyeshadow and face powder. The lighting was not that great...*



Lil' man, Frog & I went on a very nice Fall hike earlier in the week. Lil' man was so enthralled by this tree. He kept yelling "hello" up into the trunk to the "bats". It was so peaceful on the trails. The children were quiet and enjoying our walk through woods. Not to mention how nice it was I could "mommy meditate" while walking with them.

~I drove down to West Virginia Friday, with my daughters, to check out that 17 acres. well, I found that the realtor was "fluffing" up the whole ease of the low water ford. (if you look closely in the picture, you can see my Silver VUE which is parked across the river & on the road.) He even tried to tell me the water was only 3 inches deep! We had to cross over the river in his 4x4 truck and when i looked out and down through the window- well that was more then 3 inches- try about a foot of water! The fluffing did not stop there- it went along with him trying to tell me how many people were going to view the place before my planned arrival and how the last time he was up there, there was a small puddle of water in the living room- which was from all that rain they had. While we were touring the place, he brought it up again saying "the last time he was up there". Umm, yeah I thought you were showing this place to like 3 people before me?! That would make you a liar in my book. You slipped up buddy! You could tell by the way he was talking he had not been up there in a while by the little things he said about the place and its condition. Needless to say, It was not what he described. My little brother "Army" was interested in the place and asked if i would check it out for him. He is stationed in Texas, so an inspection would have to be done by me. I have advised him to keep looking.
~On another note, 3 of the trees have been cut down to date. 2 cottonwoods next the house shading a garden bed & a hardwood that was next to the magic tree which shaded another garden bed.
My yard and animal pen has patches of sawdust everywhere. The deal was you cut em down and keep the wood for heating but I will take care of the brush. I did not realize how much brush there would be from 3 trees! We have had bonfires for 3 nights now which has not made a dent in the pile.

I will try my hand at making fire starters with some of the sawdust. I packed 2 medium size buckets full of it. I have been saving & drying out spent coffee grounds to mix into them with paraffin wax (leftover from canning supplies) as a "glue". I will experiment with wicks. I have some non plastic twine from a few straw bales I saved and will see if cut up, these would work as wicks for the starters. I may have to cut up and compress some newspaper pieces for this purpose in comparison.
The purpose is not only for my bonfires but as part of a gift basket I am making for a friend. It includes homemade graham crackers and a tin of chocolate chips as an indoor s'mores family night. They are a family of 5 with the children being ages 2,5,& 8.I cannot think of a "homemade" game to put in the basket, so if anyone has some suggestions, please comment. I am not total die hard homemade gifts, but would like to be as close as possible without it giving the appearance of "cheap" or common. I want it to be an interaction with each other theme. They have a wood burning fireplace. complete with a bottom cement mantle. As a child, we would come in and sit on this to warm our backs from playing in the snow. This home has been in my paternal family since his making back in the 50's.
Well I have gabbed enough here and need to utilize the last day of beautiful weather by cleaning up the yard more.
~Tammie

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Is that an udder? & Somebody wanna buy me this land?

You know you want to see what I had mentioned in my previous entry. Well I even put an arrow to point it out in case it is not obvious. I cropped the picture for Cleo's privacy issue.

Is that not what you see? I am going to say the end of December to the first week in January if it is the begining of an udder. That would put her at being bred with Buddy. I could of swore she had been in heat since he left, but maybe having Chia here and her going into heat just made it "effect" her and she had false heats. Hey- they say they can have false pregnancy so why not a false heat?!
So on another note- I know our home will not sell for at least 1 year after being on market. I said to the Captain"hey why dont we purchase some acreage in West virginia as a weekend/vacation spot to help ease our land envy untill our place sells." He thought it was a great idea and had thrown the idea around, himself. So just for kicks I was poking around looking to see what we could get cheap as a hunting style cabin on land or empty "hunting" land. I found 17 1/2 acres for $39,500!! Very private and sometimes (bout 11 days a year) it is not accessable over the river through the low water ford.That includes an old - in need of repair- 1 story 850 square feet (6 rooms total) farmhouse seen belowIt also includes a river stream that must be crossed at the low water ford to access the land- seen below. Same person who owns this owns about 700 acres around it. Its been in the family since early 1800's.
It also has free natural gas, has electric all hooked up, and no water/plumbing in the house. There is a tap just outside and that means-no bathroom... So an outhouse and installing some plumbing is be needed here.

I of course got to dreaming of all the wonderful times (& things) that we could spend (do) together there. I have a desire to fix up a place such as this. I imagined going there on weekends to gut and redo the inside and replace the metal roof. Build an outhouse, a small barn, and fence in an area for animals. Hey, i would load my girls up and take them with me. People do it with horses (which I do not have nor have the extra money for the luxury of one). I could have the neighbor boy feed the ladies and he could keep the eggs they lay while he cares for them.
Imagine fly fishing and canoeing. Hiking and meditating. Quality time and wonderful memories to enforce our family bond together. A getaway. Maybe even a future home...
So, anyone with some extra lottery money that would like to buy me the above? LOL.
I knew there were no takers.. oh well. I spoke with the realtor and he said (of course) that he has had alot of calls on it and if I want it I better move on it now. Of course- since it would take time to come up with the money and in that time someone would take it out from under us.
Back to dreaming. It was much nicer there.....
~Tammie
* I even suggested to The Captain that we sell this place and live n that one. He could live with a friend or in his parents house during the week and come "home" on the weekends to our West Virginia home in the mountains. O.k. I think its a great idea since it would help save LOTS of money for the dream home. Maybe even have a few yurts spread out on the acres to rent out for weekend/weekday getaways. Maybe it would pay for itself and my dairy dream goes into another direction...

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Introducing ~Mr. Echo the rooster

This is our newest addition in the rooster department. Meet Mr. Echo. He is an americauna cross- I do not know what the cross part is though...He has become the outcast from the chicken run( being the new guy & all) but has fast become buds with our dear Clyde.
Update on the chickens in the run: Only 1 hen is molting which is Dr. seuss. She is pictured here looking like she is going to "throw down" with penny the buff orpington in the upper right area. (*dirt under my nails* Lower left-here is my 2 young americaunas- nameless and my Honey)

All in all this has been a rather uneventful week. I am in the hopes that a woman (from another forum) and I trade out my 2 pennies (the buff orps) for 1 of her narraganset turkey hens. She has 2 which are 1 1/2 years old. I would purchase one and trade for the other with my "pennies". I have read they are fertile up to 5-7 years. So after this winter I would start looking for a Tom. She is in southern Ohio so I would drive to exchange. The Captain said he does not mind since it is a nice drive. We could do it on a weekend and just enjoy a short roadtrip. Now I need to either build or borrow a crate for their transporting that also fits in the back of my trusty VUE!
On another note* we are trying to determine if Cleo is pregnant by Buddy or the new Bo. You see, when we went to pick her up she already had the in front of the udder "upwards dip" flattened out. It happens about 2 months into a pregnancy of does I am told/read. I also do believe she is starting to have the beginings of an udder- but I am not the best of authority on this subject. There is this spot above the teat area losing hair and having a rough texture looser skin feel. Hmmm. I did take a snapshot but its not for publishing & hope to get a better shot of it later in the day. I could always email anyone who wanted to take a look and throw their opinion in the ring. Maybe we could do a "pool" on who's the daddy and a due date! Either way I would be fine. I had hoped for a baby from Buddy but I will be happy as long as the baby(s) AND Cleo are healthy.
I am off to purchase more straw. Gotta stuff that hayloft in the goat cabin!
Have a great day.
~Tammie

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Fall leaves & pumpkin wine making

Today was the day of a Mad Hatter Tea party at our local library. It was also an afternoon set aside just for Panda and I -together. When her tea party was over, we went for a wonderful walk along the river to see the waterfall and collect leaves for our annual Fall wreath project. What a beautiful trail it turned out to be! The leaves were everywhere and the colors! oh such wonderous colors covering the pathway like a carpet! It gave such a magical feel in the air. The crunching of fall under our feet and the earthy scent that filled our noses, was so invigorating! After Panda just had to touch the water- I really wonder sometimes about my little earth child- we rushed back to the truck and stopped off to get some hot cocoa for her and some delicious coffee for me. Next stop was back to the pumpkin farm to pick up some for more pies and a batch of wine. Now this is not a wine you can drink now like the apple. No, this my friends will have to sit in your "wine cellar" to age at least 8 months. Which makes it a perfect drink for next years Samhain! So here is the recipe I started this evening which was recomended by the local "wine making librarian" and is excerpted from "The perfect pumpkin" by Gail Damerow. The more pumpkin you use, the heavier bodied will be your wine.
-----------------------------------Happy Pumpkin Wine--------------------------

15-25 pounds raw pumpkin, grated
4 1/2 gallons water
juice of 3 large lemons
1 packet of wine yeast
Sugar or honey in one of these amounts: 7 pounds (lbs) for dry wine- 10 lbs for a normal wine- 12 lbs for a sweet wine
1. Boil the grated pumpkin in the water for 20 minutes. Cool & strain into fermenter through several layers of cheesecloth.
2. Add the sugar or honey in your desired quantities. stir in until it dissolves. Add the lemon juice.
3.Cool to 70 degrees F (21 degrees C). Add the wine yeast.
4. After fermention stops, rack the wine into a carboy and set aside until the sediment settles to the bottom and the wine clears~ about 3 months.
5.Siphon the wine into sterilized wine bottles, taking care not to stir up the sediment. Youll get a perfectly smooth drink if you leave behind a few inches of wine above the sediment. Cork the bottles and keep upright. Store in a cool, dark closet or a cellar for AT LEAST 8 months.
This will yeild 5 gallons of wine
I look forward to trying so many of our homemade wines this upcoming year. This one may sound not as yummy like mulberry or apple, but that is where you must go beyond the norm and walk the trail less used.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 cup of pumpkin contains 50 calories no cholesterol or fat but as much fiber as most breakfast cereals. *The leaves of pumpkin, crushed and rubbed on livestock, repel flies - according to the perfect pumpkin book.* Pumpkins are amazing and highly overlooked on their benefits to us and animals. I have found that my 2 girls (Cleo & Chia) go crazy over pumpkin! Thankfully to Mr. Local Farmer Man, My girls have half of The captains truck bed full of those treats and other squash such as many more Buttercups. I need to go clear some room in the cellar now...
Sweet dreams...
Tammie

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A pumpkin is a pumpkin ...right?

Can you pick out the pie pumpkins from the so called carving pumpkins? no peeking below before you guess...... go ahead and cover up below the picture on your screen!


O.k are you ready? is it the right or on the left.is it the top 2 or the middle? Yes, It is the 2 behind the hollowed out pumpkin half on the left. (*both hollowed out portions and the seeded portions on the right are of carving variety*). As you can see, there is no difference in these on the meat amount. I scraped the innards of the front 2 with a grapefruit spoon. It is a carving pumpkin variety. It does seem less thick but it was much taller. They were within a 1/4 cup of each other. So what is the difference I keep asking? In a taste test of pies, using the exact same recipe & ingredients, we could not taste a difference or note any other difference in the pies.
Now the second test was pumpkin butter. The pie pumpkins seemed quicker to burn in the crock pot. Why you may ask? Well it seems the carving pumpkins hold more moisture even after baking all of them in their skin shell. I baked both pumpkins in the same oven and one of each on each shelf just so there is not an effect on placement towards the outcome. The bottom 2 hollowed out pumpkins above are exactly how they are placed in the oven set on 350 F degrees on a plain baking sheet. They cook untill they are soft. Then they are scraped very easily with a table spoon. Note that the skin seperates easier in the pie pumpkins then the carvers but is still easy to remove.
I then put the meats into a food processor & puree away! I put 3 cups of pie puree in a ziploc bag, laid it flat on the top shelf and left it to freeze over night before placing in the deep freezer.
I cannot tell a taste difference between the 2 batch's of pumpkin butter but again note- the carver has more water and if you forget to stir because you are distracted as I had with mopping floors and scrubbing the bathroom, it will be more forgivng due to its higher water content.
So the conclusion here is there really is not a notable difference in the above pumpkins for pie and there is a slight difference in the pumpkin butter- with the carver variety in the lead. So maybe they should call the carvers "butter pumpkins"!
So off with you now, to purchase those left over (& cheaper) carver pumpkins for pie and butters!
Sweet pumpkin dreams...
~Tammie

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A visit from the Zoning and nuisance investigator...

My planned post has been postponed till tommorow. Instead I bring you this post feature of my neighborly dismay special..... And the battle is on! Apparently, my neighbors on the other side of my "barnyard" think my chickens roaming on MY PROPERTY is a nuisance to them... He has a chainlink fence seperating our yards so my chickens are not in his, but scratch next to it on occasion. He too sits on over one acre and has an outbuilding blocking his view to the rest of his back yard anyway. If they somehow did get in his yard, it would be to eat the fallen apples from his tree behind said building that he does not bother to clean up & attracts all the stinging bugs. He is gone ALL day & the kicker is he has had plenty of oppurtunity to say something to me- not including the thought of walking over to my house- knocking on the door and asking me nicely to help keep the chickens away from his yard. I see him every morning when I drop Panda off at school because he too does open enrollment. I even wave and say how ya doing?! So just a little bit ago the zoning guy stopped by to say a complaint was made that my "roosters" were roaming which is against the zoning law..They must be contained in an enclosure set back 100ft from neighbor propertyy lines and 60ft from the road. I only have 2 roosters. I have 6 hens. I have 1 1/4 acres of property and have the fence line legal on the road side and that neighbors side. I told the zoning guy they were getting out because they are due for wing clipping. They hop the fence and being this time of year, the garden harvest/preserving comes first since it does not wait. I was nice, he was nice and we sat laughing. I told him I will take care of it when I have someone to help watch the children. It needs to be done when they are all in the coop since I do not have all day to chase chickens- that is unless he would like to volunteer his babysitting services for my children while I do so.
My sunshine & peace symbol coop is gone to a freecycler, so I will be looking for the most obnoxious color of paint I can find and the coop on his side will be freshly painted with it and the polka dots with another ugly color will be applied. I wish I could think of something insulting for a symbol- him being a preacher and all- just to drive it in I am ticked & do not play well with others.
I am steaming still! And to think, I actualy thought about raking my leaf covered yard and picking up the misc. that is laying around in it before winter...
~Tammie

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Tonights bonfire

A quick note and link-
I know what I am making for the bonfire celebration tonight! Check it out and book mark this one!!
Happy Samhain!
~Tammie

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Another lesson learned but trying to laugh...

~You may cut the one wing feathers on a newly brought home muscovy female and keep her in a cage for a few days with your last surving muscovy (clyde), but that does not mean when you let her out, she will stay. I do believe she may as well be walking her duck butt back home. At least in her mind she is going back to her home which is a few miles away, but with her ability of flying cut off with her tip feathers gone on one side, I say the chance is slim.
~Bonnie, our last surviving female muscovy from the auction,
has moved on to be with her prior passed on siblings. The only one left is the one pictured in my hands from my auction entry. That is Clyde. Bonnie was found in the 5 gallon bucket of water in the goat cabin. How does a duck breed drown? By hopping in a bucket to drink and bathe but have no escape route out. The chill of the night made poor bonnie succumb to sleep I assume and then drowned. I believe she must have got in late at night after the girls night time feeding and when I went out the next morn, I found her. I know death happens all the time on farms and we have friends who own farms that just shrug it off, but every time it happens here I try to think what I did wrong. I should have put that brick back in there but when I changed their bucket with a newly filled & clean one, I did not place the brick in, since I had not scrubbed it yet. I kick myself now, but note that is the first time they had ever gone in the bucket. I know this because if they do get in water, it does not stay clear for more then a second.
~So after much debating with myself, I called up a dearly loved farmer friend and asked to purchase on of his females so Clyde would not be alone and mourn his Bonnie lass. After picking her up (a beautiful all white one) I placed the 2 in a kennel for 2 days. Then I clipped her wing on one side so she could not fly. I did not think about the walking... I have not seen or been able to find her since last night. I do believe she thought -offensive language here- "screw you guys, I'm going home"- cartman of south park quote..
I hope she just made a visit to the pond a street over and will come back soon. But i am not holding my breath or getting another muscovy for awhile.
~Bonnie has been buried in the animal cemetary located out back next to our neighbors pet cemetary that is the final resting spot for animals such as a pet rat, snake, cats and a dog. Ours has a few hens and chicks, a few bunnies (left over from an animal getting into their nest), a few ducklings and a wether goat. They will be on our list of stops to place some food and drink on the graves for Samhain. Some cracked corn and a dish of water would be suffiecient along with raisins. They all loved it when we would give them raisins. Put a smile on your face when you think of the departed, for your life is richer due to them having shared it with you. Have a wonderful All Hollows Eve!
~Tammie

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another use for green tomato's & another book to look for

During my morning walk around, I noticed my garden had a nice amount of green tomato's still clinging to their vines. They are the black cherry variety ( & a few striped caverns) , so fried green tomatos were out. While on a search for a new chutney recipe, I came across one for green tomato chutney with apples. Of course I still have half a bushel & am making pumpkin butter and another chutney with it, so why not add the green tomato chutney to the days list. I did not follow this recipe to a T. I left out mustard seed , pickling spice, & chili powder- used cayenne instead- . I added cardamom, 2 apples plus 2 pears chunked up & ground black pepper. I kinda mixed it up with this recipe here. It was an almost all day stove top ordeal! The liquid would not condense down to make it thick untill just before dinner. Who knows why. Maybe because I left the lid on it took longer. After a taste test it has been proclaimed wonderful! I can just imagine all the sandwich's this could be used on. Left over turkey from Thanksgiving, The captains burgers.... What a great tasting condiment! And to think, I discovered chutney's wonderful tastes just a few years ago. This batch of jars will go as gifts later in the year.
I have fresh pureed pumpkin in the crockpot, slow cooking with a few apples chunked up, brown sugar, cider vinegar & spices. Pumpkin butter is in the making. I will be making plenty of this for gifts to go in our handmade gift baskets too. more later on the baskets but now onto the book I would like to recommend.
Food for friends: homemade gifts for every season by Sally Pasley Vargas. I do not remember where when or how I came upon this book, but it is among the most cherished on my bookshelf.
This book is amazing! Sally Vargas has covered every angle of gift giving from the heart and even goes as far as to show you how to make containers for your gifts from simple things as a kitchen cloth for a jar wrap to a keepsake candy box. The first chapter with recipes pertains to Breakfast foods. She gives you the recipes for 5 grain pancakes/waffles, New England corn muffin mix, Maple cranberry granola, mexican hot chocolate, and one of my favorites- a recipe for Chai mix. Who would not love at least one of these in a gift basket?
There is a chapter on Jams and marmalades, preserved fruits, homemade liqueurs ( one recipe in this chapter has a simple but wonderful sweet blackberry wine using red wine for a base), a chapter on condiments such as homemade grainy mustard, a cake chapter which includes a recipe for lavender lemon tea cakes, and other chapters such as gifts for the hostess (i.e goat cheese rounds in herbs & olive oil), confections, and one of my most used recipes is in her cookie chapter. She has a recipe for Chocolate apricot Rugelach. These do not last more then a 24 hour period in my house when I make them.

I prefer to make home/handmade gifts for people around the holiday, for a house warming, or for a hostess gift. Everyone likes food and with this book the ideas cover even the hard to shop for person. This is a must have book for those who like to give from the kitchen and put more then just a smile on the face, but a contentness in the belly.
Do not forget to check your local public library for a copy. Once you look it over, you too will want one for your own.
Happy reading & sweet dreams...

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Making a list...

Starting my list of gotta gets. This is just a sampling of my findings in my search for inexpensive Home Dairy needs. I have 2 dairy goats so my needs are not major. I do need to keep the cost low. I refuse to pay out alot of money just because its use is for a dairy and not the common household.If the product is the same item just a different named use, then its good enough for me.

This is a seamless stainless steel pail. This is sold for ease in a dog kennel so has one flat side. Now if i were to purchase such an item say from
Hoegger supply
or say from Lehmans,
I would not get them at the price found here ($14.99 US)! I like that it has a flat side! I think it would be easier to pour with into a filter and to have it pushed back against the counter wall to prevent and mishaps. They also have the same Seamless SS pails in a 6 quart rounded shape for $11.99! I have noticed the trend in such things having a bigger price tag when it is for livestock in comparison to household type pets. I have found that with collars too. Not on everything but I am seeing a trend in my research. Spending $15 compared to $30 or $40 on a 6 quart pail is a much better deal. Money saved can be used on a mini strainer with filters or just buy an extra pail so you always have a backup. After all, the milk is only in there for the duration of milking and walking to the kitchen for it to be strained.
In my search for aquiring all the proper supplies, I found a recipe for the teat dip/udder wash on fiasco Farm's website. She wrote that she has not had a case of mastitis or udder pox since using the recipe she shares with us. She also gives you a disposable alternitive to purchasing a teat dipper.
I read a tip on a forum for those seeking cream separators to not bother unless you can get one at an auction, since new they cost around $300. They said to use one of those old ice tea jugs with the spout like this instead. They wrote that they had always strained their goats milk that way. They chilled their milk in the jug, then once it has separated- which can be seen through the glass - drained out the "blue john" aka skim milk till the cream is at the bottom. So a cream separator is on the bottom of needs for now. I need to make a cheese press and save all my larger yogurt containers to use for the molds. I may later this season ask on freecycle if anyone has a cheese press. I am sure someone out there has one laying around and no longer need or use it.
Can you tell I am getting excited? One step closer to acheiving my goal.
~Tammie
p.s. I have been working on a new kitchen apron for my Buy the Farm fundraiser. They will be of ordinary style and fun fabric pockets. Plus "freezer paper stenciled" with my logo which you will see when I share the first finished apron. I am working out some kinks, so hopefully before Thanksgiving, I can get that site and my Etsy shop moving! Thank you for all the wonderful encouragment so many of you have given me. I have truly appreciated it.
~T

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