Crumbs from the Food Lady

Not Enough Time on My Hands

2008-12-05T21:53:00.002-06:00

Why is there no expression for that? I can't believe the entire month of November got away from me without a post. That is the first time since starting the blog that I did not post even once during the month. I hope that you had a very blessed and reflective Thanksgiving. We certainly did.

It's blowing outside, making the just-above-freezing temperature feel like sub-zero. The animals are tucked in the barn, and snuggled into deep beds of fresh straw. Some of them don't even get up when I come in the barn, they just want to keep cozy. The kitties' paws are freezing cold, and nobody minds a good warm carry to the barn these days.

For us, it's no fun. Back to the frozen water buckets, beating them twice a day until the big bucket-shaped hunks of ice come sliding out. First hauling the 50-ish pound buckets outside, and dumping them, and then back inside again, taking care not to spill it on yourself.

We are coming up on the fun time, though-- kidding season. Today I should be finding out the results of the pregnancy tests of the 11 does that should be bred for winter/spring kids. Tango looks as though she will kid soon, her udder is big and her sides are bulging out. Velvet is also obviously bred. I don't have a breeding date on Tango, though, so I will just have to watch her like a hawk. I do that anyway...

Christmas is just around the corner-- seems like it was just last Christmas. While I don't generally like time to fly, at least the faster Christmas gets here, the faster it will be spring. :)

Stay warm, snuggle with your best friend. :)

Help Grow Your Soup

2008-10-07T10:54:00.000-05:00

Click the link below to help support FFA-- one day my boy (or girl) might want to be a farmer! Maybe yours might, too.

Help Grow Your Soup

You can visit once a day-- they are not very far along in their goal, so help them out, it's just a mouse click!

Thanks.

GoatMom

I'm sick of this race. Let me at it.

2008-10-05T16:41:00.003-05:00

This makes me sick

2008-09-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

AP Exclusive: Video shows workers abusing pigs - Yahoo! News

What is wrong with people? I just blogged about people being cruel to pets and how farmers have a different attitude, and that while they are perceived to be cruel because they slaughter their animals, that is not the case (in the vast majority of cases).

I can in no way find any good in the article referenced above. However, let me just point out that those people on those farms are not small farmers, or the farm owners. Those are workers, hired to come to the farm for the day, work with the animals and go home. It is likely that they do not see any rewards or incentive for weight gain or animals that thrive. I don't know that for certain, but my guess is that they are paid the same regardless of outcome. Their paycheck is not affected by their cruelty.

For farms like mine, the opposite is true. Not only do we name our animals and treat them with care and respect, but if they are treated cruelly and do not thrive, it hits us in the pocketbook. We are not cruel people, but if we were, we would have incentive not to be cruel to our animals.

I don't know what the answer to this horrible situation is. Factory farms are hotbeds of this kind of thing, although I am reluctant to paint them all with the same broad brush. There are bad people and good people everywhere. However, as I said before, if you have people that have no direct stake in whether the animals live or die, thrive or fall behind, then it's as if cruelty is tolerated.

I was happy to read Temple Grandin quoted in this article. Temple is an amazing woman. B saw her speak a few years ago. Temple has autism, just like M. It is encouraging to see her be so passionate about her craft, respected for her knowledge and sought out as an expert. Gives me hope.

I will go hug my goats now. :(

Happy Anniversaries

2008-09-13T19:02:00.001-05:00

It is the 4th year anniversary of my blog. September 13th, 2004 I decided to chronicle my transformation from suburban housewife to country woman. As I sit and write this now, I don't think I could have painted a more fitting picture: It's about 75 degrees, with a light wind. I am watching a glorious sunset, and as it has been gloomy, damp and cool for the past few days, now that the windows are open, the cats are enjoying the weather too, and I am watching them silhouetted in the sun's rays. The beans are just about ready to harvest, and the corn is not too far behind. I can hear the crickets, and the cats meowing outside. Except for the snip of my kids' scissors (homework), I can't hear another human being at all. No cars, no whirring, humming, nothing. Oh, I do hear the occassional wind chimes from the front porch.

Bliss.

I don't think I have to say that I was meant to be here and wouldn't trade it for the world. So, while it's not the anniversary of when we bought this farm, I will take this occassion to breathe in the beauty that surrounds me and be thankful. Happiness!

It is yet another special day-- even more special than my blog-o-versary. It is the 21st anniversary of the day I met my best friend. He and I met at a party, though that story has been retold countless times. Not really a first date, is what I meant to say.

A few days later, he told me that he loved me. It was hard to believe-- we had known each other for such a short time, and I was afraid it was just infatuation. No need to fear. I have asked him, and he says with absolute conviction, that he did love me that day-- he just loves me more now. I can live with that.

I can live very happily with that.

We celebrate this day every year, marking it in some way or another. It's not necessarily a big blowout-- sometimes just a homemade dinner for two, a movie after the kids go to bed, or a drink on the front porch. But, in 21 years, it has never slipped by unnoticed or un-celebrated.

Happy September 13th. Go kiss your boyfriend (or girlfriend).

%$#*^@! people

2008-09-13T18:58:00.000-05:00

I take after my dad. He is a truck driver, and when he is feeling passionately about something, the first thing out of his mouth is usually profane. Being a mom, I tend to watch myself, but the instinct is still there.

So, in order to find words foul enough without being foul, I had to use google. I googled low-life. Scum, scab, filth, worm, villain, scoundrel, wretch, brute, derelict, snake...

Those are the only words I can come up with-- other than cussing-- to describe the emotionally devoid character that dumped a kitten recently. What kind of barbarian would not think through this sort of action?

The kitten is a beauty-- she is white, with sparse tortoise markings and big blue eyes. She has been named Jewel my my children.

Jewel appeared this morning, looking about 3 months old, emaciated, scared, and wounded. She had apparently had some sort of altercation with a predator, who had gone for her jugular, leaving a silver-dollar sized gaping wound on her smallish throat. The wound has healed some, and after soaking the infected, purulent scab in peroxide, I pulled it off to reveal several puncture wounds that extend into her neck and throat. Basically, she has holes in her neck, where her oxygen and food leak out. She's probably wormy, and has an infected eye and snotty nose.

Sorry to be graphic, but hey, you know what? I didn't want to see that either. But some asshole decided that it was better that my kids and family find and see that and take care of his/her cat, than it would be for him to step up, do the right thing and try to rehome his cat the upstanding way: by finding and vetting a good home for her or taking her to an animal shelter. No, s/he has no balls, morals, class or conscience.

What is it? Is it the perception that farm/country kids (or adults, for that matter) deal with life and death all the time, so to see an animal hurt and suffering is no big deal? That is just asinine. And it couldn't be farther from the truth.

We hate it when animals suffer. First and foremost, it is cruel. Animals that eventually become meat feel no less pain than animals that are kept as pets. They just have a shorter life, in some cases. Secondly, an animal in pain is less efficient than a happy, healthy creature, and will be smaller and provide less of a return. So, even those harder people out there that raise animals are still looking at the bottom line and taking care of their animals to increase the bottom line.

So, for now, Jewel is on "cage rest and neglect." She has a lovely little kennel in the mud room, with her own private litterbox, good meals all to herself, and a lovely warm bed. And nobody will cast her out to fend for herself, and no predators will stalk her. Not even her "owners."

And, when the time comes, since we already have too many cats in the house (including another cat that was cruelly treated and cast off by his former owner), and plenty outside, we will rehome her. To a willing home.

Just so you know, barn cats are born, not made. They have instincts and abilities that inside cats do not have. She is not a barn cat and will not be-- she is tame and loves people and has no ability to fend for herself. Barn cats don't necessarily have to be truly feral-- they can love people and be tame-- but they NEVER let their guard down, and they are always aware. That is something that is instinctive and born into the particular cat (or not), not learned at several months old.

My New Toy

2008-09-04T14:08:00.002-05:00

Toyota, that is. :) My wonderful best friend bought me a new truck. He went to the dealership (knowing my intense phobia of car dealers-- and that is not an exaggeration), and he made all of the arrangements, picked it out, test drove it, signed on the line and everything. All I had to do was come and learn about the cool features and drive it home! I knew he would pick an excellent vehicle (he always does) and he outdid himself. This is the third time he has picked out a car without my being there, and he always does well.

My previous car died on the side of I-80 three weeks ago and had a myriad of things wrong with it. It would have been expensive to get it fixed, and even after that, it was likely to break again. Our fabulous mechanic (the best in the universe, next to my dear old dad) said that Honda made a lemon that year. He told me that the car needed not to be mine. Great guy-- most mechanics would have been happy to continue to take my money!

Anyway, it's an incredible truck. It is a Tundra, named Motor Trend's 2008 Truck of the Year. And rightly so! There are only two complaints that I have: 1) I don't like the cruise control button, and 2) the stereo could be better. It is not a bad stereo, but it is not kick-ass, either. However, I did not buy the truck for the stereo, nor the cruise control. And I would (make B) buy it all over again 100 times even with those flaws!

Did I mention that I like my truck? :)

It pulls 10,300 pounds-- plenty of power for the new (used) stock trailer we bought last month. It has a roomy back seat for the kids, and a ton of storage space. It's so huge, everybody takes me seriously.

I know so, because I took it to the feed store yesterday. And it WAY passed the test. The guys were ooh-ing and aaah-ing all over it.

Keep an eye out for me. With my 380 horsepower, I'm likely to be passing you sometime soon. (Hopefully you won't be passing me as I am pulled over by a state trooper on the side of the road!)

what am i, chopped liver?

2008-08-21T06:15:00.001-05:00

So my farm site has my contact info on it. For me. The girl. The farmer. B's info is on there, but it's clear that I am the certified goat producer, the person writing the content, and my cell phone is listed, with my name by it.

Saturday I had a call from a man who insisted that he was leaving this message for B, regarding B's wethers, and would B please call him back to discuss. Discuss WHAT? Because B doesn't know the first thing about wethers. I take that back, he is marketing them at work for folks to eat, but he doesn't know much about feeding, etc. And that's okay, because he is the partner that doesn't do that, but does a lot of other things.

The voice on the voicemail was MINE, and I say that I am with XYZ farm (well, at least MY farm name), and the cell # on the page is MINE, and the info on the page is about ME. But because I am a woman, I could not possibly answer his questions about the goats I have for sale.

Well, screw it. I am not calling him back. Even if I lost the sale of a lifetime, I am just going to have to cut off my nose to spite my face. I don't do business with people who don't want to do business with a woman.

Okay, I'm returning to the kitchen to don my apron and make more biscuits and pie for Farmer B. Just call me the "Little Woman." Arrgh...

My IT horror

2008-07-24T14:57:00.003-05:00

So I may or may not have bitched publicly about my new gig, which is doing IT full time at my office. I started out hoping to do desktop support and web design, but I got SO much more than I bargained for! I have just learned today that I am transitioning two of my big clients away, and I couldn't be happier.

That being said, currently I am doing two jobs, client work and IT work. I am burned out on the client work, and I find the IT work very fun and challenging. It's helping me to avoid my midlife crisis at the ripe old age of 40.

So today I had to work on a windows machine. That, in and of itself, is a challenge for me because we run mac machines here. But we have a tenant who prefers windows. No good reason, other than to be different, and since he isn't really employed by my company my CEO caved and asked me to help him order it and configure his machine. So I did (well, I ordered it-- there was no helping about it).

I was configuring it today, and I saw a new little gizmo in Windows Vista that I thought he might like. He has a peculiar interest in aircraft, and has a large collection of photos, so I decided to give him a photo viewer widget which would scroll through his photo folder and rotate his pictures.

Imagine my horror when I was installing MS Office, and I see naked women scrolling across his widget! Thankfully I hadn't eaten lunch yet.

Look, I don't care what you do on your own time. If you like porn, good on ya. I couldn't care less. But please, people, don't do it at work. My mind wanders as I ponder a few things:

1) What the hell you are doing in your office all day?

2) Do you need more work to do?

3) Mental Note to Self: bring hand sanitizer into your office the next time I come in to do work and have to touch your keyboard

4) Are those amateur shots anyone you know, i.e. your wife? Nevermind, I don't really want to know.

5) Does your wife know that you have photos like this on your desktop? Nevermind, I don't really want to know.

6) Do you not get much at home? Nevermind, I REALLY don't want to know!

7) If this is your "work collection" what a vast collection you must have at home. Again, probably I don't want to know this.

8) Do you not even CARE that I see all this? I think I know the answer to that...

9) Has it occurred to you that this is not the proper use for company equipment?

10) I wonder if I should bring up the use of porn at work at our next staff meeting.

In the meantime, I fixed him up a sweet little screen saver. ;)

RadioShack's Response

2008-07-22T17:16:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your email to RadioShack's Media Relations Department. We appreciate and share your concerns.

We would like to emphatically state RadioShack was not and is not a sponsor of the Michael Savage radio show. In fact, our agreement with the radio stations airing his show specifically excludes his program (along with several others) as one on which our commercials may appear. Any ads that may have run on the July 16 broadcast of this show were in direct violation of our advertising contract with these radio stations. The stations have admitted their mistake to us and apologized for the confusion they have created. We will continue to investigate all local stations that air Michael Savage to ensure any unauthorized ads airing on Michael Savage are accounted for and that this does not happen again in the future

Unfortunately, the stations’ mistake was heard by many individuals such as you who have since spread the inaccurate message that RadioShack sponsors this program. Likewise, Web sites that were quick to post our name as a sponsor without investigating the actual facts have been very slow to correct the record online. Until that happens, we would greatly appreciate your help in spreading the correct facts through your own personal network.

Once again, thank you for writing and allowing us the opportunity to set the record straight.

Sincerely,

Charles Hodges

Director Media Relations

Did Michael Savage Apologize?

2008-07-21T07:24:00.002-05:00

Okay, I stole it, but it is good. And no, the asshat did not apologize.

Asshat: Someone who is wearing their ass for a hat. Someone whose head is so far up their ass they are clueless.

2008-07-20T22:34:00.002-05:00

Luckily, I don't have to elaborate any further. This man is the living definition of ASSHAT:

Mr. Savage can come and hang out at my house for a while. We'll see how far his "Straighten out, don't act like a putz" gets him. Oh, and he can also take it up with the child's FATHER, who happens to be here, alive and well.

Mr. Savage told his listeners, "[I]f I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, 'Don't behave like a fool.' The worst thing he said -- 'Don't behave like a fool. Don't be anybody's dummy. Don't sound like an idiot...' That's what I was raised with. That's what you should raise your children with."

Well, as the child's FATHER pointed out, Mr. Savage's father obviously didn't do his job. Because he is behaving like a fool, he is a dummy, and he sounds like a idiot.

You may ask yourself, "Well, how did I get here?"

2008-07-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

Pioneer Woman has a great post today about "how did I get here?" She was revisiting her life 10, 20 years ago, and pondering the fact that she is not at all where she thought she would be.

I took some time to reflect on that myself. And hell no, I am nowhere that I thought I would be! Such a different place, in fact, that I no longer speculate about the future and where I hope or even expect to be.

Twenty years ago I was engaged to the man of my dreams. Our plans were to graduate from college, get married, and join the Peace Corps. We even had those applications filled out. I am not sure what made us not send them in-- that part of my memory is a little fuzzy, but we had plans to change the world, for sure. I think, at that point in my life, I wasn't really looking much toward the future. I saw myself as different from most people, so probably not the 2.2-kids-and-a-house-type person, but maybe doing the mostly normal thing with my own twist. Certainly, I was the sorority girl marrying the fraternity boy.

Fifteen years ago I had graduated from college, married that man of my dreams, lived in Chicago for several years, and had just moved to an apartment in the suburbs, as we had our daughter in 1992. I was not working, and B was struggling in a job he hated, just to, well, not even really, make ends meet. I worked part time at home so that we could bridge the gap between eating and not eating. I could not imagine having enough money to even have a mortgage, as having a car and an apartment was killing us financially. I think B and I both felt somewhat hopeless, and while we didn't plan specifically for the future, we didn't really see any way out of where we were, and that was not in a place we were happy with.

Ten years ago, we had moved from that suburban apartment, had lived in the southwest US, the southeast US, and were living overseas. B had abandoned his much-hated job and joined the military and we were stationed in England. We lived in a tiny house, but had everything we needed. Those were some of the best times of our lives. After bills were paid on payday, there were weeks we had $25.00 in our account, but we made it work. We got by on $13,000 a year for the 4 of us. I started to look toward the future, and a job making even $30,000 a year seemed so foreign to us. B was looking to get out of the military and we were making plans, but we really had little concept of what we would need and what our money would buy.

Five years ago we were living in the suburbs, having left the military and come to the midwest to take a great job. Fortunately, we didn't have to figure out how to live on $30K, and we had built and bought our perfect suburban dream house. It did, at the time, seem somewhat like we were searching and didn't really fit in anywhere. I did not grow up in the suburbs, and it didn't feel natural to me to do the block parties and the soccer games and to keep up with the Joneses.

Of course, that all changed a year later when we moved out here. We had moved 17 times since we were married, before we owned our own home. While some of those moves were because of the military and our situation, many of those moves were because we were searching for something. I think it was a combination of things-- something that felt like US, rather than fitting ourselves into someone else's mold of success and contentment. Frankly, it has taken a lot of desensitization to not look at my life through someone else's glasses. After I have been busy all day outside, and I come inside and see the laundry sorted in the laundry room but not washed, or the clean laundry in a dozen baskets in my bedroom waiting for me to put it away, or the dishes that are undone on the counter, it has taken a while for me to think to myself, "What would someone think if they stopped by and saw this mess?" And frankly, I still find myself doing that on occasion. But most of the time I m content with looking at things through MY glasses. I am in a place that feels like heaven most days (except when it's below zero). I listen outside, and I hear the faint monotony of a tractor engine, but louder is a chorus of birds. I don't hear road noise or even one other voice. My kids so appreciate and seek out the calm. So the laundry and the dishes can wait-- I have already worked hard! I even have horrible cell reception here, so cell phone communications are mostly reserved for when we are in the city. Every day we are treated to a spectacular sunset and -- if I am in the mood to appreciate it -- a glorious sunrise. The animals around us are so calming. Agriculture is so grounding, it puts you in touch with what matters and what is so basic in life. It can be a wild ride for sure, but on days like today it is very peaceful. And it still matters-- it is as vital as saving babies and working for world peace, but it is in a slower, calmer fashion. So I can't look at myself through any glasses other than my own, and do what feels right to me.

Twenty years ago, as I was planning that fabulous wedding, I would never have thought that twenty years in the future, we would end up raising goats on a midwestern farm, living in an old farmhouse with no air conditioning or dishwasher, with our 2 lovely children who go to a school that is nearly a mirror image of my school growing up. And if we WERE doing that, that we would LOVE it. It seemed more likely that I would be working downtown Chicago in some important job, having worked my way up to a great corner office with a great view, a big staff, and a nice condo overlooking Lake Michigan.

But damn, my life feels great! I wouldn't trade it for anything.

So, if you were to ask me now, what I will be doing in 20 years? I have no idea. I could be enjoying my life in the biggest city in the world, not even owning a car, goats the farthest thing from my reality. Or, I could be here, having finally found what I was searching for, leaving only when I was done with this life. Never say never. The only thing I DO know, is that in 20 years I will still be enjoying those sunsets-- wherever they may be-- with the love of my life. Wherever he is, is home to me.

Why do I hate other people's children so much?

2008-07-11T20:24:00.000-05:00

My son is having a sleepover tonight, and his best friend is visiting. Now, honestly, when I say that I 'hate' other people's children, I don't really hate them. I just hate that things are different in my house when other people's kids are here. And I can't demand that they behave the way I want them to behave.

For example, this child is incredibly picky. I mean, probably the pickiest I have ever seen. He only likes fruit, and some meat. Only pizza from certain places. So I asked L what we should have for supper, and he said, "Oh, A likes hotdogs. Let's have a cookout with hotdogs and brats." Outstanding. Then I ask L what we should have with it. I said that we would get some potato and/or pasta salad, but I had a feeling that A would not like that. He confirmed my suspicion, and said that A would just have chips. So that is what we had. EXCEPT, that the chips were not acceptable. They were not ruffled chips. We got the plain, flat ones. Losers that we are.

They are very, very loud when they are together. And I'm not going to lie, I am one that likes my quiet. I am used to being able to tell my kids to pipe down and not have anyone have hurt feelings or think I am an ogre. Or, if they do think I am an ogre, tough, they can suck it up because I am their mother, and I gave birth to them, and if i am an ogre, then they are an ogre's child. But I can't do that with guests.

I did make a HUGE demand. This child is extremely video-game oriented. Last time I said not to bring video games, and he slipped a gameboy in his pocket. I told him to leave it home when we left to go somewhere, and he brought it. THIS time, I told L that I did not appreciate the disrespect last time, and if he did, in fact, bring the video game, I would take his ass home immediately.

They are now upstairs playing with Legos.

After playing poker (with cards and poker chips-- no video or online poker!) and running in the pasture with the baby goats.

Next, we are going to milk L's goat. And tomorrow, they are going to prepare L's goat for the fair, as he shows her next week.

Some people don't have video games, or if they do, they have no time to play them. It's time for A to see how the other half lives!

Pray for my sanity...

Only a Farmer

2008-07-10T23:22:00.001-05:00

This is lovely. It so describes my neighbors, and what I aspire to be.

I’m Only a Farmer

- Author is Unknown

I'm only a farmer.
I know the sun better than anyone.
And the soil.
And the wind.
And the rain.
I am the man who works with them.
Who loves them.
And who sometimes fears them.

I'm only a farmer.
I am the sower of seeds.
I am the tender of stock.
I am the reaper of harvest.
I am sweat.
And tears.
And pride.

I'm only a farmer.
I am the man who feeds the young.
And the old.
The weak.
And the strong.
I am the black earth of Spring.
The green hills of Summer.
The harvest gold of Autumn.
And the cold white stillness of winter.

I'm only a farmer.
I am warm memories of the past.
The steely reality of the present.
And a hopeful dream of the future.
I am a optimist.
A thinker.
A watcher.
And a doer.

I'm only a farmer.
I live in a complex world.
Made of simple things.
And they are my source of joy.
And hope.
And comfort.
I have walked the morning fogs.
I have paused for the Summer song of the meadowlark.
And I have savored the breeze off freshly cut hay.
I have paused, remembering, by the stream I knew as a boy.
I have felt the power of a thousand storms.
And rejoiced in the fresh world left in their wake.

I'm only a farmer.
I am an accountant.
A chemist.
And doctor.
I am a midwife.
And a mechanic.
I am a seller.
A trader.
And buyer.
I am husband.
Helper.
And partner to my wife.
I am a father.
Comforter.
And teacher to my children.

I'm only a farmer.
Not a man of riches.
But a man of great wealth.
I have learned to treasure life.
And all things living.
To respect their maker.
And my own.
I am humbled by the earth’s bounty.
And awed by endless rebirth.
I am fascinated by the marvelous minutiae of my world.
And enriched by their beauty.

I'm only a farmer.
If a man can be truly free, then I truly am.
The day.
The week.
The month.
They have been entrusted to me.
They are mine to spend.
They are mine to invest.
They are mine to use wisely.
It is a solitary profession I have chosen.
Or, perhaps, that I have been chosen for.
A profession where there are no certainties.
Where no guarantees are granted.
No promises given.
No excuses taken.
I have but one man to answer to.
One man to depend upon.
One man to confide in.
And in the quiet of the years, I have come to know him well.

I'm only a farmer.
I am perseverance.
And creativity.
And courage.

I'm only a farmer.
I am confidence.
And ingenuity.
And intelligence.

I'm only a farmer.
A seeker of excellence…
And I will endure.

2008-06-29T16:20:00.001-05:00

I wrote this a few days ago, but wanted to wait to post it.

Remember after September 11, when the entire nation was shaken to the core by the tragic events in New York? We all collectively bit our nails and reflected on how our lives had been changed, as we waited for the other shoe to drop. Laughter was subdued, even when you felt joy, there was always that underlying knot in your stomach, as you reminded yourself that life would never be the same.

We did heal, though as in any cut so deep, we as a community of people will always bear the scar. And when we stop and reflect back on those events, the pain will always be fresh in our minds.

And we grieve again.

It began with the winter. The coldest winter in three decades, ice storm after ice storm, subzero spells one after the other.

The spring brought late blizzards, unending snow. Then came the rain—to produce the wettest season ever.

It did not stop. Some farmers managed to get their crops in the ground, only to have seeds or seedlings washed away by torrential rains. The ground absolutely cannot hold another drop of water.

Those farmers that were able to plant contend with record gas prices. Some farmers spent well over $1000 a day on diesel fuel alone to run their equipment. Fertilizer prices have doubled since last year and are projected to double again next year.

Food prices have skyrocketed as well. While we in the Midwest probably enjoy the lowest food prices in the country, our milk prices have nearly doubled and meat prices are the highest they have ever been. It will only get worse this fall, as we will be short on crops, but high on expenses.

Many in our communities have lost their homes in the mortgage crisis. Still others have lost their jobs and are unable to meet their financial commitments.

In late May, there were two tornadoes that tore through our state, destroying two towns and killing a number of people. Our communities rallied together to build up those that were torn down.

That spirit would be tried yet again.

The hopes that spring and early summer bring were dashed when after a break we received week after week of heavy rains. Again, the ground is completely saturated. Even when it only sprinkles, the rain pools instantly on the farmland surrounding our home. There is just nowhere for it to go. The rivers, streams, lakes, and drainage creeks are full to the brim.

Our state and community has experienced the worst flooding ever. Levees broke, cities flooded, entire towns have been destroyed and are no longer in existence. In some cases, the water has not yet receded, and people are still in shelters. We have heard that FEMA trailers are being delivered to our state. Some of those people will likely never be able to move back into their homes. This was a 500-year flood, and few in that floodplain obtained flood insurance. Can you imagine losing everything you owned and not receiving any compensation for it? Your car, your home, possibly even your job, since your company may be underwater, too? Your grocery store, the roads you travel, your school.

In the midst of our flood, yet another tornado struck a boy scout camp, killing several young men. Not just any young men, but the very sort of young men that a crisis like this needs. One young man gave up his spot on the football team so he could learn to sew. Yes, sew. He felt such a sense of purpose that he sewed pillowcases for every child that would stay at the local hospital. He said he wanted them to feel loved and special.

We persevered, united as a community once again, and vowed not to let it get us down. Many filled sandbags, gave blood, and volunteered in any way they could. Once again, the commitment to community that is woven into the fabric of our being got us through this situation.

With many of the fields still too wet to plant, and others destroyed before there was any hope of growth, we face an uncertain fall. Feed prices that are already so high will undoubtedly rise, as we struggle with the choice between animal and human food. The low dollar against other currencies ensures that we will have a bidding war with other countries with deeper pockets. If we are to keep our own produce, we will need to be the highest bidder. Of course, the price to be the highest bidder is passed along at the grocery and at the feed store. We do have a few crops, but the revenue we see—if we see revenue this year—doesn’t come close to offsetting our expenses.

We planted a large garden this year, hoping to supplement our groceries with our vegetables. We planted plenty of corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries.

And today came the hail. I am waiting for it to pass now, so that I can assess the damage. Just west of us was golf and baseball-sized hail. We escaped with quarter-sized hail, but for 15 or 20 minutes Mother Nature pelted us with ice. I saw my geraniums on the front porch shredded and hopeless, and I can only imagine what my garden of tomatoes and corn look like. I don’t even want to think about what our cornfield looks like. A tree lies across the road down the hill, blocking traffic. The drainage creeks are again at their banks, carrying the runoff to already swollen rivers.

Since I wrote this, I did check for damage. There are about 5 corn plants in my garden and 3 tomato plants that will make it. The others are destroyed. The strawberries and cucumbers are pummeled and will not make it.

The leaves on the corn plants have been shredded. I don’t know if they will bounce back or not—it is touch and go. Being small (the cool weather and excess moisture has stunted the growth), they still have a lot of growing to do, and could recover. However, being small, all of the leaves were shredded. Had they been larger, maybe the top leaves would have served as a canopy to save the leaves underneath.

Our county has been declared a federal disaster area. Today FEMA came to visit our house, asking if we needed help and offering their services. That is very eerie to me.

And so I am once again noticing that the color of our collective moods is very gray. Smiles are not as broad, joy is not as joyous, yet worries are exaggerated by the worry that is already carried around in the pit of one’s stomach. If you are already worried about money, you cannot help but be terrified about what harvest time will bring. Farmers are resilient—they have to be. They have been through these types of things before. But never so many times in the same year, or even the same growing season.

Yesterday I went to the farmer’s market in our town, selling the goods for my side business. My sales were dismal. Opening day, before much of the disaster had hit, still hopeful for what the spring would bring, our sales were double what they were yesterday. The first day, it rained—POURED—for the morning. Yesterday it was sunny and 72 degrees. I think people are sad, they are carrying around the sadness and it prevents them from enjoying things in their lives. And I think people are worried not only about what is to come in the fall, but what is left to come this summer. We get through one disaster, and another one comes. Those who have experienced significant damage from storms, lightning and hail are not being made whole because their damages pale so significantly in comparison to those who have experienced the natural disasters. We continue to wait for our settlement check from our insurance company after our fire last October. We will likely continue to wait, as the adjusters are kept busy with all of the other challenges. And how can we ask? How can we be the squeaky wheel when others have nowhere to live? When they have lost their loved ones? In the meantime, we cannot hay our field, as we have nowhere to store the hay. We don’t raise cattle, so our hay must be pristine, and can’t be stored outside. We already claimed one year of hay on our insurance, but since it is taking so long to rebuild, we may have to claim another.

I don’t have much good to report. It’s not that there is no good, but it’s not what is on everyone’s mind right now. We’ll get through it, and we’ll be a stronger community for it. But it’s not the kind of community building exercise we are looking for.

It was only a dream!

2008-05-24T08:44:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning having had a terrible dream. My dream wasn’t about the loss of anyone I love, thank God, but I had a dream that we sold our farm and moved into town.

Our “new” house was an old house, and on 8.8 acres (why do I remember that?). I have no recollection of why we sold it, and the whole process of “saying goodbye.” I just recall the vivid dream about moving into the new house and looking at the neighbors’ homes all around (our land in my dream was a long and skinny patch). I started sobbing, and asking “What about my goats?” Of course, dreams are not rational, as in my real world I would have thought in the normal course of homebuying I would have ASKED about the goats before signing my life away! However, it was very significant to me to feel the pain of finding myself somewhere other than where I am now, even in a place that would have been heaven to someone else (large tract of land, big huge trees, lots of shade, a paved road!). I was devastated. I sobbed and cried and begged to move back. I repeatedly wailed, “I made a mistake! This is horribly wrong! Is there any way we can move back?!”

Sometimes I can wake myself up from a dream, or tell myself in the dream that I shouldn’t worry, it is only a dream. Not this time. It was very real, and when I woke up with tears on my face, they quickly turned to tears of joy! I’m not going ANYWHERE!!

I hugged B and told him I had just had the most horrible dream. He mumbled a consolation and told me to go back to sleep… (not a morning person)

Instead, I came downstairs and am enjoying the quiet, cool morning. I can hear the raindrops on the roof of the bathroom (served as a back porch in another life, before bathrooms inside were necessary). I am curled up under my snuggly blanket with three cats on the couch.

I need to go out for morning chores, and I am a little late. I think the animals will forgive me as I sit here just being thankful.

The Procrastination Meme

2008-05-20T17:16:00.003-05:00

Okay, because I am a procrastinator, and I have a ton of work to do, but still feel guilty about not blogging, I'm posting a meme. Don't think that I don't have lots to blog about: dead goats, dead rabbits (not that kind of dead rabbit, no siree!), skunked dogs... but internet, I am just so very, very tired. So the meme will have to do.

Come on MK and Michael. Let's see your answers, too.

What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was living in England in a house where even a mouse would be crowded!

Five Snacks I Enjoy:
chex mix

pretzels

popcorn (air popped, but with real butter & salt)

Sour Apple Trollie-Os that B feeds me

chips & salsa

Five Things on My To Do List Today:
work on a slide show

finish a newsletter

order a meal for a meeting tomorrow

finish typing up minutes for said meeting

barn chores

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
hire someone else to do the items above

have my home updated and make the attic into a master suite

Buy more goats and a barn to put them in

give a lot away

buy land around me so nobody else can (i.e, developers)

Five Jobs I have had:
KFC worker

Cook at a nursing home

Kinkos clerk

Transcriptionist for a publishing company

mom

Five of my bad habits:
procrastination

cussing like a sailor

collecting animals
not eating breakfast

Biting my nails

Five Places I have lived:
Wisconsin

Arizona

Mississippi

England

Here!

People I want to get to know better: (yes this means you are tagged!)

Michael

Six random things:

I should have gone to the feed store today, but I didn't. I have had company for the last 2 week and I am still flying by the seat of my pants.

M earned a letter in chorus! Now I have to buy her a letterjacket. I dug mine out-- I was so tiny once upon a time! I wish I were thinner, but I think I was too small at one point.

I promised myself I would take more photos, and I am having a great time inputting them into iDVD.

I miss B during the day. Sometimes I miss him so much it brings me to tears. :(

We are having dinner for 2 this evening-- steak and green beans. One of our favorites!

The windows are all open and I am cold, even though it is nearly 80.

When It Rains It Pours

2008-04-27T22:05:00.001-05:00

I think I have journaled before with that same title. It always seems to pour at my house!

Three weeks ago, the alternator went out on my car. That was an unexpected $550 that I paid to get it fixed. Thank goodness for a great mechanic, who really charges far less than he is worth. I had no problem paying HIM, I just had a problem paying…

Now my car is broken again. Well, the air conditioning is STILL broken (for the second time since 2004). I had the entire system replaced once, but it broke again, and it has stayed broken.

But along with the A/C, the VTEC solenoid is broken. I don’t really understand the ins and outs of how that works, but I do know that my car can’t go above 60mph, and even then, to get there, I have to shift it judiciously. I don’t know how expensive it will be to fix, but I do know that I really had not expected yet ANOTHER round of repairs on the car.

And, since we have the luck o’ the Murphys, it would only make sense that the water heater would break this evening, too. The pilot light won’t stay lit now. We know it needs to be replaced, but with the recent rash of unexpected repairs, it was something that was on the “just after the short-term fires are put out” list. Operative word here is “was.”

Well, I guess I have the government’s economic stimulus check spent six ways to Sunday.

ugh, more of the same

2008-04-27T08:06:00.000-05:00

	Tonight Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms in the evening...then partly cloudy with a chance of rain showers...light snow showers and isolated thunderstorms after midnight. Low in the lower 30s. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms in the evening...then partly cloudy with a chance of rain showers...light snow showers and isolated thunderstorms after midnight. Low in the lower 30s. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 40 percent.

Movie Stars

2008-04-25T16:32:00.000-05:00

They are filming a movie in our town. It has consumed our little town for the past couple of weeks, and everything is just abuzz with camera crews and trailers. The plot of the movie is apparently centered around a high school, and has to do with an unplanned teenage pregnancy.

L’s friend in town said they wanted to use his house for shooting a scene.

They plan to film a school dance in the gym, and a football game in the stadium. I thought it might be fun for the kids to be extras.

Apparently, however, they are also filming in the school during the day (my tax dollars at work). The kids have both come home ranting day after day about how mean the movie people are. They said that they tell people to shut up, they make people (including teachers) take off their shoes in the hall if they are noisy, they have blocked off areas of the school so the kids complain about being late to class and for the bus. They are so angry about the whole movie thing that they don’t want anything to do with it. Apparently, there are prize incentives to show up and be an extra in the football game crowd, but they can’t even be swayed by the chance to win a flat screen TV.

It will be interesting to see how this all pans out. The kids tell me that everyone is angry, from the administration to the teachers to the students. Who signed that contract?

Searching for the Happy Medium

2008-04-20T21:49:00.001-05:00

Do you see the lovely grand dame that is to the left of your screen? That is Precious. She came to our farm nearly two years ago, and has delivered us four beautiful babies.

Precious came to us as an adult, and quickly established herself as the Herd Queen. All rankings of the does were through her. She put the youngsters in line, and the older does knew that she was wise and kind. She was an assertive, gal, however, and didn’t hesitate to pull rank if necessary.

We lost Precious two weeks ago. It has taken a while for me to be able to compose this sad story for my blog. Her death hit us hard.

She died doing what she did best—being a mom. She was pregnant with triplets, naturaly, as she was a fabulous doe. She had a difficult birth with the first two boys, and I had to go in and reposition them so I could pull them. We missed the third kid and did not realize she had a last baby in there until it was too late. The next morning, I pulled the last kid, but the kid (a doe) was dead, and Precious died a few minutes later.

I feel so sad about her death. First and foremost, because she is a great doe. Not only a great producer and asset to our farm, but a nice goat. Secondly, because I missed the kid. I feel as though I failed her. She depended on me and I let her down—not just a mild letdown, but she paid with her life.

She did deliver her two beautiful boys before she died, and for that we are thankful. There is not a day that goes by that we are not sad about her passing and thankful for the contribution she made to our farm and our breeding program.

We had to dig a big grave, and it was no small feat. Dragging her out to the grave was one of the worst things I have ever had to do. I was on the verge of being sick the entire time. Thank goodness for B, as he did the lion’s share of the nasty work. I don’t know how he held it together.

You know, I started this blog to chronicle my transformation from suburban woman to farm woman. I wanted to track the events as they happened, and my reaction to them. I remember blogging about the mice in my house, being mortified that these creatures would live among us. I have graduated, (and blogged about it) to accepting the mice (or at least having a great mouser), and to accepting the vast differences that living here entails. But I don’t know if I can come to terms with this as easily.

I don’t know if losing animals will get any easier as time goes on. I look at the farmers who live around me, and if you asked me if they were hardened or calloused about such things, I would probably answered with a qualified yes. They certainly don’t seem as affected as I am. That being said, I have had discussions with some of those hardened farmers, and they have told me that it affects them. That even slaughtering animals affects them. That doesn’t mean that they don’t do it, but it lends an aspect of respect and thankfulness that most folks don’t have. You just don’t feel grateful to the animal when you pick up the styrofoam package of extruded ground beef at the store.

I know I have written about it before, but it doesn’t seem to get easier as the other things did. I go back and forth about this. I want the sadness to go away, to be replaced by acceptance and the ability to just move on. However, I am grateful for my compassion and respect. I never want to forget that they are God’s creatures, and I am entrusted with their care. They look to me for food, water, shelter, and protection. Total trust. I never want to lose sight of that aspect, either.

HEY, Mother Nature! Here's a clue: IT'S SPRING! CUT IT OUT ALREADY!

2008-04-06T21:21:00.002-05:00

WTF?

Here is the weather this week:

	Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain or snow in the evening...then partly cloudy after midnight. Low in the lower 30s. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
	Friday Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain or snow. High around 50.
	Friday Night Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain and snow. Low in the mid 30s.
	Saturday Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of rain showers and light snow showers. High in the mid 50s

Um, hello? It's April. Nearly MID April. Can we get a week WITHOUT SNOW??

Mother Nature is a Cruel, Heartless Bitch

2008-04-01T08:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I woke up to pouring, torrential rain, thunder and lightning. It was as if Mother Nature was announcing, “Listen up, Suckers!! You wanted Spring, you GOT Spring!” Complete with her wrath.

I admit, after the last thunderstorm we had, I was a little gun-shy about running outside in the storm to feed the animals housed in a metal building. But they had to eat, and I had to get to work, so I did it. Then, after we remodeled our bathroom so wonderfully, I was again worried that plunging myself into a cast iron tub, with water inside, in front of a window, while it was lightning outside might not be the best idea. But again, the work thing, and then the stink thing. So I did it. And lived to write this blog about it.

But THIS morning. THIS morning, Mother Nature has played a cruel April Fools joke. She is so heartless and ruthless. There is an inch of snow on the ground this morning.

Well, at least I was not concerned about bathing during the flurries. And, after all, I have had plenty of practice driving in it.

I really wish Spring would come.

Barking at the Moon

2008-03-30T21:10:00.000-05:00

Well, we are not (usually) barking at the moon, really, but I am paying attention to it. I am still trying to get the hang of the actual computation of it, but the gist of it is that if certain tasks are performed when the moon is in certain signs of the zodiac, they are more apt to succeed. It isn’t witchcraft or voodoo, in fact, it’s old as ages and farmers swear by it. We have weaned by the moon so far, and so far, so good. Nobody has gotten sick or failed to thrive. I did not castrate the wethers by the moon, though, as I am preparing for a sale and I needed them castrated NOW. I will watch them closely.

I don’t know how practical it is to breed by the moon, as the girls are only in heat once a month, and what are the odds that it will coincide with the several “ideal” days per month? But I am reading more about it and will see what comes about.

I am reading the book now, “Raising Animals by the Moon” by Louise Riotte. She has a great quote that sums it up:

Astrology is not paganism or witchcraft, nor is it a religion. But astrology and religion are comfortable with each other: God made the sun, moon and stars; why should we not be guided by His creations?”

B thinks it’s hooey, and that’s okay with me. But farmers around here plant by the moon, wean by the moon, castrate by the moon, etc. I am not going to turn my nose up at their wisdom.

But I would still like to be able to figure it out and explain it.

and on we go...

2008-02-27T06:08:00.002-06:00

Well, yesterday we had yet another snowstorm, and yet another snow day. And normally I enjoy an unexpected snow day. It's unplanned bonus time that you get to spend with your kids, enjoying a beautiful scene out the window. Of course, I usually do have to work from home, so there is some obligation, but for the most part it's an enjoyable day.

But we had a snow day 2 weeks ago, and last week L was sick. Three weeks ago he was sick also. So I can't remember a week that has gone by in recent memory that I have not been home at least one day. And you know the old saying, "I see you've been missing work lately..." "Well, I wouldn't exactly say I've been MISSING it!" Yeah, that's how I feel, especially since I have had to work those days, just get to do it from home. But I am SO behind at work, it is weighing on me. I need three catch up days that nobody else gets! The trouble is, I can't even put in serious time on the weekends, as we have so many goats that there is always something to do. Now, when I *sell* some of them, I'll be happy to have that income, and will feel like my efforts are paying off. However, right now, it feels like a glorified hobby gone horribly wrong.

Yesterday, despite the snow day, we had our HughesNet fixed. The technician came and said it had been installed incorrectly, and was horribly un-level and that is why we have had problems with it since day one. Nice. And who do we hold accountable for that??? Why do we have to pay $125 for him to come out and fix someone else's work that we already paid for?

Just as he was leaving, I looked into the mudroom (which is just by the back door) and I saw a puddle of water. Yep, the washing machine had leaked all over the floor. Add that to the list, along with the water heater. I don't dare ask, "what next?"

When it rains, it pours.

Congratulations Cindi!

2008-02-26T00:04:00.001-06:00

In the middle of a snowstorm, with nobody around, she kidded triplets today. It was the third unexpected set of trips we've had this season! Yay! The vet scanned them all for twins, but they surprised us.

L named them Joomla, Mambo and Blogger.

They are adorable. Photos to come.

Night.

Seems Like a Long Time

2008-02-25T08:13:00.002-06:00

This is one of my favorite songs:

(Seems Like a Long Time by Rod Stewart, edited a little bit)

Nighttime is only the other side of daytime

but if you've ever waited for the sun

you know what it's like to wish daytime would come

And don't it seem like a long time

seem like a long time,

seem like a long, long time

Hard times are only

the other side of good times

but if you ever wished hard times were gone

you know what it's like

to wish good times would come

And don't it seem like a long time

seem like a long time,

seem like a long, long time

War time is only

the other side of peace time

but if you've ever seen how wars are won

you know what it's like

to wish peace time would come

And don't it seem like a long time

seem like a long time,

seems like a long, long time

2008 is going to be one of those years, I fear. It seems like it has been an endless winter, long and cold. Not just cold, but frigid.

Things are breaking around here, left and right. The water heater has started shooting fireballs and will need to be replaced (nobody worry, it’s under control, but creepy), both of our cars are making weird noises and have to go in. We will be replacing the machine shed/garage this spring. Our automatic waterer froze and will need to be replaced.

People in our lives are also having a hard time. A dear friend has a 25-year old daughter who is suffering from an inoperable, terminal brain tumor. She has two young sons (age 1 and 4) and a loving husband. Our dear friend has fallen and torn ligaments in his knee, so he is unable to help with her care. Another good friend lost her grandmother early this year in a strange series of events.

It has been a cold, gray couple of months, in body and spirit. I hope that spring brings both warmth and hope to our body and souls.

Two conversations at my house:

2008-02-23T20:03:00.001-06:00

Me: I can’t find those scans of those pedigrees for my website.

L: What’s a pedigree again?

Me: It’s a notation of bloodlines—like a family tree for an animal.

L: Oh, I thought it was a toenail makeover.

We were watching TV because L is sick with the flu. We don’t normally watch TV, but it’s cold, he’s bored, and well, the TV was on.

B: Son, we didn’t have commercials for ED when I was a boy. We didn’t have to watch all of this.

L: Huh?

B: Erectile Dysfunction.

L: What’s that?

B: Ask your mom.

Why am I the one that always has to have the touchy conversations?

Will it ever end?

2008-02-21T20:24:00.000-06:00

It continues to be brutally cold here, it is below zero nearly every night. Today I was truly happy to see that the high was 17 degrees. That is a significant warmup from yesterday, when the high was 3.

Those temperatures are to be expected at least one spell during the winter. Usually it comes the last week in January. But we have had brutally cold temperatures since Christmas. It just doesn’t seem to end, and it is taking its toll.

It is not enjoyable to spend time with the animals. I spend as little time as possible in the barn, and being with them is one of the things that feeds my soul. So I have missed that tremendously. Of course, I still have all of the obligations to them—getting up at the coldest time of the day and going outside to feed and break the ice in all of the water buckets. And of course, doing it all again in the evening. As I type this, my feet are still recovering from being numb—they hurt now, as did my hands before I warmed them up when I got inside.

Living where we live this weather is to be expected. But it is the coldest winter in 30 years, the snowiest, the iciest in a long time.

I am trying to keep positive—spring is just around the corner. At least that’s what I’ll tell myself tomorrow morning at 5:30.

Fab February

2008-02-16T14:59:00.001-06:00

I am sorry I haven’t blogged lately. Not so much for those who look forward to reading my thoughts—though I am sorry to you—but for my own reasons. I love to consider my perspective and put those thoughts down in writing. It’s kind of like purging my mind of the ideas that are chasing their tails in my head. I also like to write because it provides a timeline for things that happen on our farm. I am not the best at record keeping, as you can imagine, but if I blog, I can go back and see what happened when. What day was the storm, what day was it cold? What day did we add those pens… and on and on.

So I miss that. When I say that I will be better about posting, it’s because I want to be a better documenter of my life. I also want to spend more time considering my perspectives and tracking what is going on with me and my thoughts about events that take place. It disappoints me when I don’t deliver on my promise to myself.

Lately we have been so busy we don’t know if we are coming or going. There are the usual things with the kids—a birthday, social groups, church (it’s Lent already!), concerts, basketball games, doctor appointments, and everything else that is just getting through the day stuff. Work has been crazy, and I am looking to transition into an IT position with my company, so I am doing double duty right now. Adding the farm to that, as well as my soap business, equals very little “me” time.

Our goat herd has increased to 20, at the moment. Unfortunately, Clark, our “house goat” with the nerve damage, died. As did one of the triplets with the cleft lip. Both of those were very much for the best. We had 2 first fresheners kid last week, and both are not the best mothers. In their defense, they kidded in the extreme cold and the babies could not have made it anyway. The last one kidded out triplets at 2:30 am, and we were lucky to wake up and check the cam to find them. By the time we brought them in, their ears were frozen, but we did manage to get them healthy again, and there are now 4 babies in the house. It’s not a quiet home. They are all wearing diapers. It’s quite comical, actually.

Only 2 more does to kid, and this season is over. We consider ourselves incredibly lucky, as we did not lose any kids so far due to birthing problems. We did lose the two after the fact, and while we are not happy about it, to say we were disappointed with the outcome of our kidding season would be incorrect. We are really pleased with how things have gone. Not only that, but we have had two does that kidded triplets, and I think that is a testament to our care for them. They will abort or absorb the fetus(es) if they cannot sustain a multiple birth. And our kids are quality babies—we are proud and excited about seeing how they do at the shows. We have one kid that looks like he may be upwards of 60 pounds at weaning (3 months, weaned next week).

I am at work now, blogging from here, as my internet is down at home. Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never get HughesNet. And I meant NEVER. Not even for a second. Oh, and never. It is the worst internet ever. It has been down for a week, and no technician has called “within 1-2 business days” so that I can have the pleasure of paying them $125 to come out to my house and attempt to fix it. Until the next time it breaks and we get to do it all again. This fun is in addition to the $70 per month we pay for the pleasure of having limits put on our downloads and outages every time the sky clouds up. Because you don’t really need to see the weather radar IN THE MIDDLE OF A BLIZZARD!! Nope, no need, no worries. Plus the cost of the system, which was something in the ballpark of, oh, SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS. But not to worry.

Did I digress? I was talking about blogging from work. On a Saturday. The work part of my work is done, and I should end the blog part, so I can go home to B, and the 2- and 4-legged kids.

Happy Saturday. Hope it’s not so long ‘til next time.

Having “The Talk” With Your Kids

2008-01-11T10:09:00.000-06:00

Have you had the talk with your kids? No, not THAT talk—we had that ages ago, and the kids are well aware of that process, being on a farm. The talk I am referring to is the “I am not your slave!” talk, and it might be more of a rant, a yell, or even an explosion, than an actual talk.

We have had that talk for several days in a row. I’m convinced my kids appease me and think, “Mom’s just off her meds again, give her a couple of days” but I am just sick of feeling like B & I have to do everything around here! Or, that the things that need to be done are MY responsibility, and if I ask someone to do it, then they are doing ME a favor. If I ask them to clear their dishes from the table, then they are doing me a favor. If I ask them to put their own laundry away, then they are doing me a favor. I struggle to get them to understand that this home is OUR home, and we all have to work together to keep it clean and neat.

Teenagers are giant toddlers. I think of a toddler as a huge liability in time and effort. You dress them, and they get dirty. You clean something up, you turn your back and the toddler has dumped it out again. However, when we had toddlers, we knew what we were in for. Some of us did not work outside of the home, and if we did, we lined up daycare. We had seats that we could strap them into, so we could contain the mess. They make bibs and babyproofing stuff for toddlers.

But it's different with teenagers. They go through the house like a whirlwind, making messes and demands like a toddler, but there is no teenage proofing of your house. They roar through this place and then need to go to football practice. You can’t put them in a chair and tell them to sit still and not mess up their room. Well, you CAN, but it doesn’t work. Their messes are huger, their demands greater, and their attitude STINKS! You can usually get a smile out of a toddler if you tickle their chin. If you tickle your teenager’s chin, you usually get shrugged away and a dirty look. They tell you they hate you, you’re unfair, you don’t understand, and they're running away. Toddlers fall asleep on your chest, and you can snuggle their hair.

On the other hand, when the teenagers help, they really help. They can pitch in and make a job go fast. You can talk to them and they really "get it." Therein lies the frustration. I am just having trouble getting them motivated. Don’t tell me about losing or gaining money or privileges, that doesn’t work for my kids. What seems to work is to get them to understand where I am coming from, have compassion for my position, and make a change. But so far, my ranting hasn’t helped.

Maybe they will come around. Or at least I can count the days until they will be on their own and will learn about pitching in and helping (or doing it all themselves). But, by then I will miss them terribly, them AND their messes.

oh.my.god.

2008-01-07T16:25:00.000-06:00

i found a gray hair today. my very first.

three down, three to go

2008-01-04T08:16:00.000-06:00

Luna kidded last night, right as we were about to leave to do our civic duty. Well, obviously we had to stay behind to help with the blessed event, and I came in the house to grab a cup to milk into about 8:30. So the baby was born about 8:00 or so. Momma did fine, but I am glad I was there. She didn't want to push, so we made a deal that I would pull while she pushed. It worked, and a sweet little girl was born in about 10 pushes. She isn't the best mom, but she's trying and it will be fine.

I am tickled pink, as this is Wolfgang's 3rd set of kids, and out of 5 babies, we are 5 for 5 girls!! I am glad that we are having healthy kids, but ecstatic that we are having girls!!

Now we need to get Aurora in gear. She was due the 2nd. Then I can have a life again until the end of January, when Wendy is due.

Happy Friday.

Nineteen

2008-01-01T22:02:00.000-06:00

Nineteen years ago, about this time, I gave my word.

Nineteen years ago last night, I was on the last flight into the airport. It was such a dense fog on New Year's Eve that the airport closed, but not before a divinely-guided pilot bravely brought our flight down in the hardest landing I've ever experienced. We applauded him as we taxied to the gate.

My love picked me up at the airport-- I had not seen him since before Thanksgiving, and missed him terribly. He sent my Christmas gift to my house, 2000 miles away, and it arrived well before Christmas. It was a small box, most definitely jewelry. He begged me to open it on Christmas Eve, and I was all too happy to do so, as I had stared at it for days wondering what it could be. I knew it was too soon for a ring-- we had only been together for 18 months or so, and while we had been inseparable, we were only partially through our junior year of college. Besides, he didn't have money for a ring.

No, it was not a ring for Christmas, but a beautiful pair of emerald and diamond earrings. Very significant, as my birthstone is emerald, and I had, for years, hated the stone. As I got older, I began to appreciate its beauty, and I had shared that with him, so it was very telling that he bought me my first piece of jewelry containing that beautiful stone. I couldn't wait to thank him for being so thoughtful.

He was waiting for me at the airport that night, having driven in the dense fog the hour-plus trek to fetch me. He was not daunted at all by the weather, nor was I, and all we could do was thank our lucky stars that we were finally together again. Never mind that the hour was now after midnight, and we were welcoming in the new year as we drove back to campus.

I remember waking up the next morning, opening one eye and seeing his arm very close to my face, realizing that he had slept with both arms wrapped around me. I never wanted to leave that embrace-- in his sleep even, he didn't let go, and I slept like a baby. I didn't want to disentangle myself physically or emotionally from him ever again.

The campus was not yet buzzing, as we returned days before most students migrated back from winter break. I was an R.A. that year, so I wanted to come back early to have a few days to mentally prepare before my charges moved back in for the second trimester. My love and I found some friends on campus, likely folks who had "wintered" over on campus, maybe returning home for the holidays and scurrying back to resume research, or an off-campus job. The group of us played a game of Monopoly, likely livened up by no shortage of libations.

He walked me back to my dorm after the game, wearing that ugly, pea-green, army coat. I remember it vividly (he probably still has it-- and can fit into it!). It had deep pockets, and when we got to my room, he reached into that coat and pulled out a box. Another box! His look was serious, and I didn't know what to expect. Right then and there he asked me to marry him, and presented me with the most beautiful ring ever-- it was full of emeralds and diamonds, and it matched the earrings he bought me for Christmas. I was stunned-- of course, I knew I wanted to be with him forever, but the moment a girl is proposed to is one where time stands still! Nineteen years later, I can't recall what went through my head, but I recall that it was full of thoughts. Would I marry him? I could think of nothing I would rather be than B's wife. I am sure that the split second I took to grasp the magnitude of his question seemed like an eternity to him. After all, he was waiting for an answer!

I answered yes, of course, and the rest is an amazing story that is much stranger than fiction, for sure.

Happy anniversary, to my best friend in the whole world. I would say yes again, even quicker, if I knew then what I know now!

Shooting the Llama

2007-12-29T21:06:00.000-06:00

With antibiotics, that is. He has conjunctivitis and as much as I was pretending it would be okay for the last 2 days, it was just getting worse. So we had to corner him so I could give him a shot of oxytetracycline (really, 2 shots, since he had to have 10 ccs and you can't inject 10 ccs in one spot, so you have to give it in two separate injections), and he had to have some terramycin ointment in his eye.

Actually, it went fine, believe it or not. Well, as fine as wrangling a llama could go. Nobody was spat upon.

In other news, we are very sad to report that while Tango's three babies are lovely and sweet, we have noticed that two of them were born with a cleft palate. It does not interfere with their eating, so for now we will just leave them be, but we need to get to the bottom of it. It could be that their bloodlines are too inbred (not really likely, since the parents do share common bloodlines, but they are not too recent), or that the doe ate something poisonous. I would rather it be the latter, believe it or not. On the one had, that means that if she ate a poisonous plant, it's likely that ALL the does ate the same thing and may have the same consequences. However, it is a fixable problem. Though fixing our pastures is no small (or inexpensive) task.

You know, if it's not one thing, it's another. For now we will just enjoy these sweet, lovely little babies. We have another doe due tomorrow, and another Wednesday.

Life goes on.

A visit from the wiseman

2007-12-27T08:23:00.000-06:00

A very wise man visited yesterday, and left us with three gifts. We named them Goldie, Frankie & Myrrh!

The vet is a very wise man-- wiser than I am when it comes to pulling out malpresented babies! He was one short in his ultrasound assessment, though, as Tango was supposed to only have twins. We are thankful for the extra little blessing of Myrrh!

THREE DOES, how lucky can we get? I say that wise man can come to my farm anytime. As long as he brings me healthy babies. And girl babies.

Hallelujah and Amen.

(pictures to come)

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T10:36:00.001-06:00

We are hoping Santa will bring us some goat babies for Christmas! Tango is close, and due tomorrow.

I heard this story today, and it's the perfect story to share on Christmas. I hope that it warms your heart as much as it does mine. Thinking of all the animals around here, it really hits close to home. M was also helped very much by a horse named Sonny, and we will forever be indebted to what Sonny did for her. Enjoy! A Christmas Story.

I hope your Christmas is as blessed as ours is.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T14:49:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful, hopeful day that you spend with close family and friends. Do something that brings you joy!

Here's a photo from our recent sleigh ride with MK and J, and some other friends. It was the perfect start to our Christmas holiday, as we finished our ride, had some good conversation and good food, and then picked out our Christmas tree. Yes, it was late (later than most folks, but we want to keep our Christmas spirit fresh and not draw out the holiday ad nauseam) but our Charlie Brown tree is perfect.

Spread around some good karma in the next couple of days!

Speedos and Snowmen

2007-12-09T21:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we went to the feed store and then into our little town. We were dressed in our barn clothes, and kind of smelly. Our little town store did not have what we were looking for, so B suggested that we go into the metro area, to the Beautiful People Section, to their Best Buy.

Me: We can’t go there looking like this! I stink, and I have no makeup on!

B: I don’t give a shit. I’ll go dressed in my freaking Speedo.

Me: Please, Lord, no. They would look at us funny then. Especially since it’s snowing.

I am still scarred by the thought of him walking into the beautiful people store in a Speedo. I’m sure he would look fabulous in a Speedo, but he would be more noticeable than in his stinky barn clothes.

For what it’s worth, we went home and changed, then went to the Beautiful People Section of town. And probably still looked out of place.

This Old House...

2007-11-25T07:56:00.000-06:00

... will be the death of me! And my marriage!

It has been a grueling week. It started on Monday, when B's parents were scheduled to arrive, and Victoria decided to kid. As I posted earlier, we had to call the vet, and though the babies are healthy, we have one bottle baby (for now) as he is unable to stand. The kids are working with him to get him to try and learn to stand so he can nurse on his own. He is making progress, but not yet ready to go back out to the barn. So his every-4-hour feedings are taking their toll. Since Monday. Even in the night. And everyone knows how much I like my sleep.

All week we have been scrambling to get the bathroom fixed-- at least workable-- so that our company does not have to share our delightful sawdust toilet. We were successful in getting the fixtures installed (on Thanksgiving Day), except for the clawfoot tub, which fell off of its claw feet. So we have no bathtub (still). This wouldn't be a problem, since we did fix up a shower downstairs, but M decided it would be fun to fill up the flexible hose on the shower head and watch it expand like a water balloon, and then BURST like a balloon. So he shower head is no more.

So here it is Sunday, church day, and we cannot shower. We will work hard to get it fixed today. And we do love the look of the bathroom-- pictures coming soon. We just have to do the tub, install some trim and crown molding, and then the finish work, which is fixing joins that don't meet perfectly, touching up paint, fixing a broken tile, grouting, hooking up the heating duct, etc. Those are small projects that are easily done after work or in an evening. Not these all day, 2 day projects that are crucial to get done asap.

We found last week-- the same week we had electricity fixed and the propane leak fixed-- that we had yet another water leak. This time it was from the washing machine, and it was under the crawl space. It was a small drip, and we decided that for the moment we would just turn the water on and off at the shutoff valve so that it would not leak. We would just turn it on when we did laundry. But we forgot how much laundry we do. And the leak got larger. So running new lines from the washer (through the icky crawl space), installing a new shutoff valve and testing our marriage again, was on the books for Friday night.

In (almost) hindsight, I am happy that we did not know the magnitude of this project. We would never have taken it on ourselves if we had known how long it would have taken or how difficult each step is. I think back to the cement board that was so difficult to install-- heavy, dusty to cut, unforgiving in composition, how dry and hard it is on the skin-- and it seems like we did that months ago. It was tough to get through that stage of the remodel, but we thought that once we got that done, a finished bathroom would be right around the corner. We didn't know we'd have problem after problem.

But we are both glad that we did this project ourselves. We have learned so much about the systems of our house. We are not afraid to do plumbing (though we leave most electric and certainly all propane to the pros!). (We did move a light fixture and cap off a couple of outlets.) The bathroom encompasses so many projects across the board: demolition, some minor framing, insulation, walls, window installation, sheet rock, cement board, tiling the floor, plumbing, electric, patching, painting, installing the exhaust fan, and on and on. there is no other room-- save for building another bathroom, which we are not inclined to do anytime in the next 5 years-- that will require us to use all of those skills at once. Even our kitchen remodel will not require us to gut and redo. We may replace cabinets, or move plumbing, etc., but no floor tiling, etc. So we have learned a lot and are thankful for that.

Today we shall attempt to install the tub! She's going in feet first... :)

Babies

2007-11-21T07:56:00.000-06:00

The stork visited us on Monday afternoon. Yay! It wasn't without a bumpy landing, however, as we had to call the vet out to pull the kids. I couldn't make heads or tails of the hooves in there, they were definitely malpresented, but sorting it out was not easy, even for him. But, miracle worker that he is, he got them out and they were two healthy bucklings. I had hoped for more does, but these boys are out of a buck that is amazing, and I am excited, as they could bring a lot of money (or fabulous bloodlines to my own herd, should I decide to keep them). One negative thing is that one of the babies was born breech, and as such is having leg problems. They should work themselves out in a week or two, but until then he cannot stand and nurse, so we are having to tube feed him or pick him up to nurse every 4 hours. It's cold out there for all of us! A little BoSe yesterday and he should be okay in a few days.

I have tried to spend a lot of time noticing the goats' behavior lately. B and I had some thoughts about animal communication, and we decided that they understand human behaviors much more than we give them credit for, and we believe it is because humans rely so much on our ability to hear and speak with each other. We don't use body language or smell or sight as much to infer mood or intent. But with the "communication barrier" that we have with animals, they are forced to watch us and study us and get to know our body language to interpret our mood and intentions.

It was especially amazing to me to think of this during the whole kidding process. She started to kid outside, and I managed to walk her into the barn and into the kidding pen without a lead. I did not leave her side except to call the vet, and she clearly wanted me there to reassure her. Now that her babies are born, she does not permit any cats in the pen (she will headbutt and try to bite them), and if the dogs are too close to the pen, she will headbutt the pen as well. She has tried to drive the children away, though not as aggressively as the animals, but with B and I, she is very tolerant and needy. She stands to be milked, though she has never been milked. She is an amazing animal, and we give her credit for that-- do you suppose she knows?

I know that this all seems as though we personify her, and that's not really the case. But we do want to give animals the credit they deserve for being intelligent, sentient animals.

I saw a quote in a book once, specifically referring to a photo of a cat with a human. It said, "I stay because I am free to go." That is so fitting for my relationship with my animals-- it is an unspoken mutual trust. It was never verbally agreed upon, terms were never laid out or discussed. It just is, and it's just as powerful as any agreement between humans.

Very Very Close

2007-11-17T15:06:00.000-06:00

Well several things are very, very close.

First, we are close to being done with the bathroom. Never, NEVER would we have thought it would take this long! But when we took time off from work, we sort of "blocked out" the rest of our committments for that week, and planned on completing the bathroom. However, when the time was taken up with fixing leaks, shoring up rotten supports and replacing subflooring. So, when we went back to work, those repairs had been made, but the actual renovation had hardly begun. For the past two weeks, then, we have been living without a bathroom and working on the renovation outside of work. And life went on, our committments returned and we just fit the reno in where we could.

So, while we are disappointed that it has taken so long, we are quite proud that it has actually come to a close (nearly). We are well over budget, possibly even 3x over budget, and certainly coming up on 3x as long in time budgeted. However, the bathroom is sturdy, done correctly, and is going to be just what we wanted. It is a very interesting mix of old and new. We tried to work the old into it, and even simulate the old in a lot of instances.

Secondly Victoria is close to kidding! Her due date was yesterday, and we are watching her carefully. We will have the goat cam up and running also. She is due to have twins.

Thirdly, B's parents come and visit Monday. We are looking forward to a great time. Oh, did I mention I was having company? Off to get my work done!

Bathroom Renovation: Day Gazllion

2007-11-13T21:03:00.000-06:00

Well, it seems like a gazillion days have gone by since we started this project. Or at least a thousand.

Initially it had been one setback after another, until we got the "bones" fixed, and then started on the cosmetic. The end is in sight, and all that we do now provides an instant visual gratification. Laying tile was exciting, grouting was even more exciting. I skim coated the walls, and that was very gratifying, as it provided a light and airy backdrop for the bathroom-- something that the cement board did not provide. I am removing traces of grout from the tiles tonight, and patching the holes in the ceiling that remained where we removed framing. After that, I will prime and paint the walls and ceiling, and then put up the wainscoting. As soon as the wainscoting is trimmed out, then we can put the fixtures back in. We are hoping that it might be Thursday, but realistically it may be Friday. And dammit, I have reserved the bathroom for about a 90 minute soak and assembled the necessary accoutrements for said soak (in Kismet fragrance, thankyouverymuch)!

I imagine the soak will come even before the final touches are put on the room!

I am continuing to document with photos!

Let there be light!

2007-11-12T22:35:00.000-06:00

And Hope!

After a month and nine days, the power is back on in the barn! It is so helpful, as with daylight savings time, it's getting darker much earlier. And we have a doe due to kid at the end of the week (she could go anytime), so if it gets cold, her kids will need a heat lamp and warming, which will require power.

The electrician came today and spent the entire day here. We have all new power hooked up outside, and 100 amp service! Yay! He said I could get a dishwasher tomorrow... :) (hear that B?) We have a new breaker box in the basement, and L does not have the breaker panel in his room anymore. That always made me nervous.

The bad news is that we seem to have a propane leak, which we obviously will get fixed asap, and we have a water leak in the crawl space. It's always something...

The better news is that we grouted the bathroom tile tonight. So we should be able to move fixtures in on Wednesday. I can't wait to soak in the tub. I will soak until the water gets cold.

What an amazing program!

2007-11-11T20:51:00.000-06:00

It is amazing to see that there are still small companies out there that do the right thing...

Rolling Hills Bank Heifer Project

Babies Soon!

2007-11-08T06:05:00.001-06:00

We had the vet out on Friday, and he ultrasounded all of the girls. All are pregnant except one, and most are having twins except for the two smallest, and they are having singles. That is good. So we should have 10 babies by spring, if we don't have a kidding season like last year.

They all seem to be due on holidays, too, or very near. The dates are:
November 16 (next week!)
December 26
December 30
January 2
January 24 (B's Birthday)
February 12 (right after L's b-day, and just before Valentine's day!)

The last doe that was not bred was with the buck this weekend, and if she doesn't come back into heat, she'll be due April 4, which does not fall on a holiday.

Can't wait for kids!

Bathroom Renovation: Day 5 Recap

2007-11-05T23:45:00.000-06:00

Well, we are nearly finished with the wallboard. It looks great, and progress is being made! The big problem now is that life is going on: teacher conferences, doctors appointments, assignments that require mom and dad's help, etc. We blocked out a few days that we did not do anything, but B goes back to work tomorrow and I go back on Thursday. It has taken us so much longer than we imagined it would take.

I may take a break tomorrow from the work and clean up. Laundry and dishes continue to need attention as does the vaccuming and some grocery shopping. I am really torn, but I know that in time it will get done!

Off to bed, to get up and do it all again!

Bathroom Renovation: Day 5 Prognosis

2007-11-05T07:10:00.000-06:00

Well, today is a little sunnier than yesterday, and not just in the sky. We made a LOT of progress yesterday, and finished most of the flooring. B has it so sturdy and level that an elephant could use the toilet without issue. The floor needs one section of plywood installed and then will be ready for Durock cement board for under the tiling.

I removed a boarded up window (and the siding on the other side), framed in the opening to accomodate the slightly smaller new (old home salvaged) window, and installed the window. Then I insulated the room with some mold-resistant insulation. It's ready for sheet rock now.

Today we will put up the wall boards, and maybe prime and paint. Wouldn't that be nice?? We could also put up wainscoting if we had the time, and then install some of the "cosmetic" things, like the medicine cabinet and connect the lights. It would be good to have a light in there, however, we do have a lovely window, and for the first time in a lot of years, that room is basking in the eastern sunshine.

So am I.

the light of day

2007-11-04T11:10:00.000-06:00

Sometimes just the sun coming up offers you a new perspective! Today the drain in the basement "became" unclogged (with a little help from me and Liquid Plumber) and we are now able to take showers in the basement. If you have ever seen our basement, you know that this is one step above showering outside in the cold, and if it were summer, might even be a step below. However, it has hot and cold running water, a shower curtain, and a sprayer. But, it feels good to be clean!!!!!

And now, the time setbacks don't seem so significant. We both have more days off and will work hard to get a lot done in that time. Of course, the $$$ setbacks are still painful, we haven't found a remedy for that yet.

Off to work...

renovation update

2007-11-04T01:31:00.000-05:00

It's 2:30 am, not yet giving ourselves our "extra hour" today. We have still not started constructing anything, and spent the day doing damage control. We had two water leaks, including one on the water heater. It was truly a sprinkler squirting out of the pipe. Thankfully B is very skilled at fixing plumbing leaks, and while it did take him a while (the leaks were in awkward places, and they were on curves and elbows, etc.) he did get them fixed perfectly.

We cut out all of the rotten subfloor, and some of the plywood on top of it. We need to replace the subfloor under where the toilet will go, but we can't really replace it and the plywood until we have had a fan on it and let some of it dry out. Apparently our previous tub leaked, and had been leaking for a matter of years. We suspected this, and that's why we tried to renovate asap. There is only superficial damage to the top layer of plywood, and we bough some to replace it. We cut it out and need to air out the subfloor. B is now finishing the day by scraping the old vinyl off the floor.

Hopefully tomorrow (today?) we will begin constructing. It is exciting to think about-- the hex tile pattern I picked out, the perfect light fixture, how we are going to eliminate the disgusting overhead light (without a cover) and exhaust fan combo that collected ladybugs and box elder bugs inside of it. It hung halfway out of the ceiling and looked terrible. We have a beautiful pedestal sink that looks perfect in the room, and a period faucet. I have picked accessories that will be perfect in the room, and have collected them for a few months now. We will put up wainscoting and paint the walls a light shade of blue. Thinking about all of the cosmetic things-- including that clawfoot tub-- is making me about drool, especially when I think that tomorrow we will be still stuck on putting in new floors. Tiling and grouting are going to take a matter of DAYS to complete, so that will also put a wrench in the plans. But putting in the floors needs to be done, and we are that much closer to a long soak in the tub. :)

Tomorrow will be a better day. Night.

i totally lied

2007-11-03T19:29:00.000-05:00

This has been the worst day. When I reported this morning, all was going well, albeit slow. That continued to be the case until we discovered two leaks and rotten subfloor around the toilet. B stepped on it and nearly fell through the floor-- boards fell into the basement. We had to drive again to the home improvement store, spent 4 hours out, and are now back doing damage control.

But there has been no forward movement, just a lot of damage control. And a lot of lost time and LOTS of additional money.

Yuck.

I keep telling myself that bathrooms reap 100% return should you ever sell your house. And the mold in this room was causing me to worry about the health of my family. I was embarassed about how disgusting it was and how much it smelled. So this is really an investment in my sanity. Well, a LONG-TERM investment in my sanity, because for this short term I am out of my f-ing mind.

Keeping my fingers crossed for forward movement tomorrow... and we are working into the wee hours tonight.

Cranky

2007-11-03T09:49:00.000-05:00

Well, today begins day 3 of our bathroom project. We have not even completely finished demolishing the room. It is very discouraging, and I am cranky. We have no bathroom facilities indoors, except for sponge baths in the sink and the sawdust toilet, both of which are not sufficient for more than a few days. B goes back to work on Monday, and I go back on Wednesday. Tiling the floor will take significant time-- both in the tiling process and in the curing time.

My husband is an amazing builder. He is very meticulous and precise-- both traits that I do not appreciate enough. Instead his lack of speed frustrates me. As I write this I know that I would not have it any other way, since I want a quality job that we can be proud of. But I am freaking out about the time remaining, and he continues to work very carefully and slowly, assuring me that we will get done in time. I am not so sure.

To our defense, the time we budgeted would have been enough, even with the few issues that came up unexpectedly (a broken water pipe, nonstandard size [of course!] that needed to be repaired), etc. However, the fire burned all of our tools. While we purchased the tools we knew we'd need, when things arose or we had forgotten about something, we had to run and buy more tools. It has also caused us to be majorly over budget. So I am cranky and bitchy today.

I know I will be much better when the bathroom is done! I probably will not blog again until it is finished. You don't want to hear me bitch! Not only that, but here I am typing and not working! I am taking pictures along the way, though. No exciting finds, except for the fact that our house is in nearly pristine shape. I am gobsmacked at how beautifully crafted this home is. She is amazingly sturdy and enduring. No mold, no damage, even a noticeable lack of spider webs and dust. It's almost divine.

Today we frame out a window (more marriage enrichment!) and put in the insulation, cement walls and flooring. Tonight we tile. If all goes our way.

On a positive note, all the girls are pregnant except one. We should have 10 babies by spring, if we are lucky.

Ever peed in a sawdust toilet?

2007-11-02T07:49:00.000-05:00

Well, our house is Redneck Central for a couple of days. We are renovating our (only) bathroom, and during the chaos we have bathtubs outside, toilets elsewhere, sinks on the ground, etc. It’s quite the display of refinement, let me tell you.

While we can all get away with skipping a shower for a day or two (as long as we don’t go into town), it’s a bit tough with the toilet. November is a bit nippy around here, so it’s not like we can just go find a tree. The boys do that, but they look for any excuse to pee outside.

After reading how some of the hard core homesteaders live, we decided to implement the sawdust toilet. It’s really quite ingenious, actually. You take a 5-gallon bucket and fill it with a bit of sawdust. Put a toilet seat on top of the bucket, and each time you “go” you add a bit more of the sawdust to the bucket. It is the perfect height and the seat fits great. It doesn’t smell in the least.

So what could have been the worst obstacle to this whole project has been quite easy. Now we just need to hurry up because soon showers will be a big issue! Can't shower with sawdust.

The bathroom renovation is a true renovation—we have gutted the room down to the studs, are replacing the subflooring and all of the walls. The only fixture that is not being replaced is the toilet, as it is relatively new. We have a refurbished clawfoot tub as well a new sink, and of course the décor will be completely different. We can’ t wait for it to be finished, it has been a long time coming, and a sore spot for too long!

I promise to post photos—I’m documenting as we go.

Gotta get back to work!

P.S. In the midst of the chaos, the vet will come today and ultrasound all the girls to see if they are pregnant and date their pregnancies! Definitely more on that later…

Sold!

2007-10-30T21:23:00.000-05:00

Today we sold our soybeans at over $9.00 a bushel! Last year they were going for about $5.50 a bushel. I was worried because we committed to alternating crops in that field each year between corn and soybeans. Our farmer asked us if we were still on track to switch back to beans, and we said we were, even though last year we got such a good price on corn and prices continued to rise on corn. We noticed that just about everyone planted corn this year, we thought our bean field looked a little loney, but we were hoping that it would pay off because everyone and their brother were planting corn. Sure enough, it did! This year corn is much lower, right now it's going for $3.25 a bushel.

For once we did it right! Mamma needs a new pair of shoes!

Well, really, the goats need a new scale and a heat lamp.

help these animals displaced by the fires

2007-10-27T09:26:00.000-05:00

What a good cause, those poor creatures

Home

2007-10-23T20:08:00.000-05:00

I went into our tiny little town today to do an errand. I decided to wash my car at the car wash/laundromat, and as I was hosing off my car in the new facilities (they just put a carport over the drain at the car wash), I was watching the people go by. I saw the 7th grade boys walking home from football practice, folks walking their dogs, parents coming out of the IGA with the ingredients for supper. I smiled when I saw a combine go by, just driving down the main street of our little town. Nobody's head turned, not any big deal at all. It was a comfort-- somehow that big combine driving down the street, turning nobody's head just made me smile and snuggle up into my community. Strange, I know, but that's me. :)

I am in my homestretch of my busy time with work. It is easier this year as I am taking medication for ADHD and am able to focus on the important things and put pen to paper and work on the tasks at hand. My medication is not a stimulant, however, and provides the added benefit of "taking the edge off of the anxiety" as my psychiatrist so eloquently pitched it. And it does.

I have alternated between feeling comfortable enough to rely on my experience at my job (aside from the time off when the kids were smaller, I have done this job since 1990), and feeling the old pangs of anxiety. However, I am not in the fetal position! I have not shed tears! That may seem like baby steps, but it's progress over last year, and I will take it!

Think of me these last few days of this week. I'll be busy, out of town, out of the safe, snuggled community that I love, and away from the family that means everything to me. My client is not my favorite, has been highly critical in the past, but it looks to be an exciting and successful event-- this side of it. So, though I am swimming upstream, the end of this week marks the end of my crazy month at work. And I look forward to some R&R next week.

Keeping my eye on the prize...

The Wave

2007-10-17T20:53:00.000-05:00

It’s an interesting subculture living in the country. It’s an unwritten rule that if you live in these parts, you wave at folks on gravel roads. It’s kind of ridiculous when I actually talk about it, but it’s a real thing.

The wave is varied, depending on how well you know the “wavee.” Your hand doesn’t leave the steering wheel if you don’t know them. It’s like you just raise your pointer finger off the wheel at them (did you find yourself trying that out as you read it?). It's about a 50/50 response rate, as you might be waving to someone who doesn't know how all of this works, and they may not wave back.

If you do know them, then you take your hand off the wheel in a full-on wave. But you never wave “vigorously” at a farmer. They don’t have time for that. It’s ridiculous and childish. You still wave more than just a “lift a finger” wave, but you don’t get all excited about it.

In-between are those people that you know, but don’t know. Neighbors that you see outside, but you might not have actually been introduced to. Instead of just your finger leaving the wheel, you can lift up your four fingers. But it's not a full-on wave, and your hand still doesn't leave the wheel.

It's amazing, you don't forget to wave, and you don't wave on pavement. It's just second nature after a while.

Going north of my house you venture into another county, where they don’t really wave. Stuck up, they are. You also don’t wave on paved roads. You encounter folks who don’t understand the wave. But here on my road, you can wave all you want. Just be sure that you DO wave. Otherwise you might be mistaken for an outsider.

Hanging in there

2007-10-07T20:37:00.000-05:00

It has been a difficult week, as you can imagine. We are exhausted, and the new week is demanding our undivided attention. I have yet another two meetings this month (the last of the year), so tomorrow the plan is to hit the ground running. It is not just me, but B has the same time demands.

Still, we are attending to the task at hand. We have been listing all that was lost in the shed fire, discussing plans and costs with our electrician, and spec-ing out new pole buildings. We are optimistic that by the end of October we can have all evidence of our current shed and contents cleared away and begin construction on the new building. We need to be done by winter.

That is all for now. We are tired and there is not much to report.

The Unthinkable

2007-10-05T21:08:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday I left for an annual convention that I am in charge of planning. I called B just as I was about to get into town to the hotel, as he should have been close to arriving home to meet the school bus, which is my usual role. He assumes that role when I am gone.

Instead of his cheery voice, I was greeted with news that knocked the wind from me: our machine shed was struck by lightning and was burning.

What I can describe now in a very concise timeline, actually unfolded in a maze of facts, misstatements, confusion and assumptions over the subsequent 8-hour span.

A horrible, fast-moving storm sped over our area, and lightning struck a transformer on our property at about 1:45 pm. A fireball was propelled from the transformer down the power lines and into the shed. It immediately lit on fire, and was consumed within a matter of minutes. A wonderful neighbor passing by saw the fire and called 911, after bravely moving our farm truck which was parked just outside the shed. I am not certain I would have been so brave. (And say what you will, but I am thankful that we leave the keys in that truck!)

The fire department was there within 8 minutes, but the fire was so hot and intense that the roof had already fallen in, and the building was a total loss. The flames were 20-30 feet high, and came within 5 feet of our propane tank. Treetops were scorched, some trees were even burnt. Plastic trim on our house was melted as was our picnic table. The fire department fought it for a couple of hours, leaving when they felt that it would burn itself out. The rain was torrential, so I can only imagine what could have happened had it not been raining so hard.

At 4 pm the kids got home from school, but B was not yet home. In the few minutes between those two times, L saw the shed on fire and immediately burst into tears. He frantically went to the pump to get water, only to find that it was not working (the electric company had cut the power lines to the other buildings on the property, including the well pump). In his distress, he ran into the house to get a mixing bowl, futilly filling it with water and dumping it on the inferno. I can only imagine that scene, but it plays over and over in my head. My heart breaks every time I think of it.

As it was, B had to call the firefighters back about 7 pm as the flames became more intense. The crew arrived within minutes with two tanker trucks, and worked in the rain until late in the evening. They were still there when I called for a 10:30 pm update.

I was able to have replacements come to work my meeting so that I could come back home to be with my family and assess the damage. We lost so much that we have worked to build up over the last three years here. B and I moved to this farm with a push mower and four screwdrivers, and maybe a hammer, and we thought we could be farmers. We have collected equipment and tools specifically for the needs we have on our operation. I remember how little we knew and how little we had when we first started on this venture together. It feels like we had climbed halfway up the mountain and have fallen back down to the bottom.

We lost all of the chickens and all of the hay we put up for the year. Hay went for upwards of $10 a square bale last year, and we paid our hay guy 70 cents per bale to cut and bale it for us (of course, we did the stacking and putting it up). But we will never find it for that cheap.

Losing the chickens is devastating, too. Thinking of them suffering is hard to stomach.

The worst part about the fire is the sense of security that is lost. Your home is where you go to escape from these things—ours especially is tranquil and peaceful and AWAY from the cares of the world. While are are not naïve enough to think that it doesn’t happen here, I suppose we do operate in a manner that can’t fathom that sort of thing happening. Our home was broken into when I was a teenager, and it is the same sort of feeling.

At the same time we are feeling blessed—we have incredible neighbors, adequate insurance, and a shitload of tenacity. We will do it again, and better, faster and cheaper this time.

For now we are sad. We don’t even have a shovel to scoop up the trashbin that melted into a puddle.

My Hero, Redux

2007-09-30T20:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, once again B proves that he's my Major Dude. The dryer has been on the fritz forever, until recently when the motor literally blew up. With a pop and a puff of smoke.

We knew it was limping along all summer, but we didn't need it for much, since we hung clothes out all summer. Now, with fall around the corner, it was time to get it fixed. So we ordered the part, and B set out to play repairman. I did not notice if he was showing excessive buttcrack, as I was busy working on a task I was dreading.

Plumber pants or whatever his secret was, he had it running within a couple of hours. It's humming along, very quietly, with no signs of struggle. I never thought I would appreciate the sound of laundry being done.

Alas, now time to tackle Mount Washmore (stole that one from PW).

P.S. GREAT NEWS!!! The Slatterys are moving!!!! Sadly, they are getting a divorce. I would not wish that on anyone, and imagine their lives are in turmoil. However, I am glad they will no longer be our neighbors! Nor will their pack of wayward dogs!

Feeling my age

2007-09-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

I work with three young women, in their early 20’s. I could most certainly be their mother. I would have been young, but it would not be a stretch. One of them is my assistant, S. I adore S, she is sweet, and extremely competent, pushes herself to do and learn more, and has an incredible work ethic. One of the other women, K, is also fabulous. One of the quickest learners I have ever known. She is sweet, with a soft side, but can run with the big boys. I am proud to know her. The other, J, is new, and I don’t know her well, but she seems to be cut from the same cloth as the other two young women.

Tonight is homecoming, and M has a date with her just-a-friend, who I believe is truly more-than-a-friend-now-that-she-is-in-high-school, J. So we had to find a dress. Not just any dress, not just a nice dress, but a FORMAL dress.

M hates shopping, and does not have a good sense of style. She definitely knows what she likes, but she is like a raccoon: she loves anything shiny, with sequins, or garish. Picture a 14 year old Joan Collins. So her style can’t be trusted, at least for Homecoming. She was attracted to the gold lame and the saucer-sized rhinestone brooches.

So I called on my young friends at work to help me out, and they came to my rescue. Not only did they clue me in to what was in style, but told me the cheap places to shop, and we got a great bargain on a dress, shoes, and jewelry. I believe we got it all for less than $50. And an Oleg Cassini dress, to boot. Very Jacqueline Kennedy-esque.

They helped me out, and were happy to share their expertise. I work very hard to share my knowledge with them at work, and even though it seems silly that they would have been excited to share something as benign as fashion tips with me, I truly feel like they were happy to finally be able to impart some wisdom to me. They are very innovative and savvy at work, but their ideas always need to be checked or validated before they can use them. This time I was lapping up their wisdom like a puppy!

They have told me before that they don’t think of me as old, they at least acted shocked when I told them that I was only a few months away from being 40.

At the moment, I feel 39 and 4 months. And it feels just fine.

Happy Anniversary!

2007-09-13T22:34:00.000-05:00

Today is a double anniversary! First, but not foremost, it is the 3rd anniversary of my blog. I have been less than faithful at updating recently, but I do enjoy "penning" my thoughts. Hard to believe that three years ago I was trying to figure out how to get the mice out of my house! (not successful)

Secondly, and foremost, it is the 20th anniversary of the day that B and I met. :) We met in college at a party, so we didn't really have a "first date." But I tell you, he swept me off my feet that day, and I am still floating. I am so lucky to have him in my life, and I thank God every day that we are together. He is my best friend.

Happy Happy Anniversary!

It's Hard to Look Cool When Your Car's Full of Goats

2007-09-06T08:43:00.000-05:00

Isn't that a great line? I stole it from a book with a similar name.

Anyway, it's hard to look cool when you have a car full of goats. But people sure do stare.

Wanna know how I know?

Pssst! I gotta secret! Wanna hear?

Great Goats!

2007-09-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

You gotta check out this website! I kinda-sorta "know" the shopkeeper...

You'll love the stuff, I promise!

Another Fair

2007-09-03T07:02:00.000-05:00

The last one of the season! We pick the goats up today.

L showed his girl, and as usual, he brought home the blue and the purple. I am so proud of him, though, he is SUCH a good sport. He is always nervous, and is always blown away by winning. And he always hugs his goat.

L also showed one of my does, a young one, one of the January kids that we pulled. Hard to believe they are grown up and ready to show!! She got first in her class.

Then, M showed an older doe. She is a nice doe, and I like her type (big and bulky and wide), but I wasn't sure if the judge would. Sure enough, he loved her and she got the blue.

So there I was, two kids with blues, showing against each other in the grand champion drive! This was not something I had contemplated!! I even had to borrow a lead rope for them!

So what happend? How did it come out??

The 2007 Grand Champion Fullblood Boer Doe is on the left! Reserve champion is on the right.

So what did the boy do? 1) hugged his goat. 2) shook hands with the winner.

I am so proud of him!

Her, too, as it was her first time showing. So it was wonderful that she won GC. However, she won't let it lie! She keeps reminding him that SHE beat HIM. He keeps rolling his eyes and saying, "It was MOM's goat!" Remember, he also won GC with HIS goat. Thankfully he doesn't really care. But I think that they will both be caring when we pick up their prize checks today. :)

My Girl

2007-09-02T21:39:00.000-05:00

I always take pictures of the goats, and sometimes people (but bad photos of them), and I am always questioned on why I don't take pictures of my kids. Well, I take photos of the boy, he is photogenic and easy to capture. We have tons of pictures of him. But the girl, she hates to have her picture taken, unless it's on her terms. She has autism, and her smiles are usually forced, or she refuses to smile.

I have a new-to-me camera (thanks Dave!!) and it is fabulous for taking pictures of people (in addition to pictures of, well, ANYTHING). My dad is here now, and we went out on a tour of our county, taking in all of the local attractions. While we got some great photos of the sights, I managed to snap a few pictures of my beauty when she was laughing naturally. Finally, she figured it out, and rolled her eyes. Oh, MOM!!

You can see the sequence of events here.

Isn't she stunning?

YOU KNOW YOU GREW UP IN RURAL WISCONSIN IF...

2007-08-06T21:14:00.000-05:00

-You know how to polka, but never tried it sober.
-You know what knee-high by the Fourth of July means.
-You know it is traditional for the bride and groom to go bar hopping between the reception and wedding dance.
-You know the difference between "Green" and "Red" farm machinery, and would fight with your friends on the playground over which was better!
-You buy Christmas presents at Fleet Farm. (What's wrong with that? I would love anything from Tractor Supply for Christmas!)
You spent more on beer & liquor than you did on food at your wedding.
You hear someone use the word "oof-dah" and you don't break into uncontrollable laughter.
You or someone you know was a "Dairy Princess" at the county fair. (Does Corn Princess count?)
You know that "combine" is a noun.
You let your older siblings talk you into putting your tongue on a steel post in the middle of winter. (Or maybe you were the older sibling...)
You think Lutheran and Catholic are THE major religions.
You know that "creek" rhymes with "pick".
Football schedules, hunting season and harvest are all taken into consideration before wedding dates are set.
A Friday night date is getting a six-pack and taking your girlfriend shining for deer.
Saturday Night you go to your local bowling alley.
There was at least one kid in your class who had to help milk cows in the morning... phew!
You have driven your car on the lake.
You can make sense of "upnort" and "batree". (OMG, reminds me of my grandpa teaching me how to overhaul my car!)
Every wedding dance you have ever been to has the hokey pokey and the chicken dance.
Your definition of a small town is one that only has one bar.
The local gas station sells live bait.
At least twice a year some part of your home doubles as a meat processing plant.
You think that the start of deer season is a national holiday.
Pop is the only name for soda.

My Secret...

2007-07-30T22:25:00.000-05:00

I have a new blog-crush*! It used to be dooce, and I still adore her-- and subscribe to her RSS feed and read her the second I am notified of her post. However, I have found the dooce of the farm! Her name is Pioneer Woman, she has a huge following, and she is my new hero! Go check her out. She puts my writing to shame, so hopefully you'll be back after reading her.

*Blog-Crush defined (courtesy of Sizzle)

So, I've been asked what technically IS a Blog Crush? It'd likely include some, if not all, of the following:
A) You can't wait to read what they post next.
B) You want to be friends with them.
C) You think they are the cat's meow. Meow!
D) You might find them attractive- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, whatever floats your boat.
E) If you met them in person, blushing might occur.

I've been reading, reading, reading her archives. I can't think that I would find her attractive, but I do love her writing. And I would not blush if I met her in person. But I'd offer to take her to lunch just to listen to some of her crazy tales!

She was a presenter at the BlogHer convention this past weekend in Chicago, which I wanted to attend, but life (and goats) got in the way. Maybe next time.

I hear banjos...

2007-07-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

You might be a redneck if...

... you haul your goat to the show in the back of your SUV.

... you don't have your sportscar parked in your garage because your chickens are housed inside (the garage, not the sportscar!)

... you have a clawfoot bathtub in your backyard.

... you have had livestock in your home.

... your son can play a pretty mean tune on the jaw harp.

... your animals' groceries cost more than your family's.

... your spouse has shooed away children or dogs in his underwear (with or without a weapon).

... someone has paid you for services with livestock.

... your technical term "rotational grazing" really consists of you moving fences to ensure that you don't have to mow your lawn.

I am screwed.

"Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss" or If You Were a Fly on Our Wall

2007-07-21T22:30:00.000-05:00

B: (as he takes out a DVD that I have rented from Netflix) Oh, look! A movie about GAY people! That's novel!

Me: What do you have against gay people?

B: What do YOU have against STRAIGHT people?

(I like to rent movies that are recommended to me from Netflix, and many of the arty flicks have gay people in them.)

Well, we've been watching the flick for all of 10 seconds, and the first line is "I am a homosexual."

For the record, I have nothing against straight people.

an exasperatin' day!!

2007-07-18T22:58:00.000-05:00

Well, it was one of those crazy days. Goats needed to be checked in by 10. Piece of cake, right? Well, normally, but when you stay up too late and oversleep, it becomes difficult. I NEVER oversleep. Well, until it’s a big day—on which I don’t want to let my son down. So I roared out of bed at 8:00, in an attempt to get him to the fair by 9:30. Chores, packing, showers, and we were there by about 9:53. Before 10.

We stuffed our supplies and goat in the back of my SUV and headed down there like the Klampetts. Total newbies at this.

The superintendent was nice, and told him how to go about doing things, and he listened and acted accordingly. Cindi was behaving, and looked great, actually.

The judge must have thought so too, as she came away with the first blue ribbon and trophy: senior doe, first lactation. He noted that she was a bit on the overconditioned side (That means fat. Nobody in my barn or house is starving.). She is not fat at all, but she is too conditioned for a dairy goat. She looks skinny to me next to the boers.

So he thought she was great, and only remarked about her condition. OH, and the fact that her udder was soft. DUH! The boy’s STUPID MOTHER told him to milk her before the show!!! DUH DUH DUH! His mother should be beaten with a 2x4. I have no idea what I was thinking. So she shows up with a soft udder and the judge thinks she looks great, but wonders why she doesn’t have much milk. No problem, she still steals the blue.

Second show was the grand champion drive, where they show all of the 1-2 place goats in their respective classes. She took grand champion senior doe, beating all does in milk. That was phenomenal, as there were several large Saanens there that were in heavy milk. Some are reputed to give 4 gallons a day!!

Third class was “grand champion goat” and it was basically a class of all the winning goats. Basically a grand champion drive of all the grand champions. She walked away with that trophy and purple ribbon also!

Then it was on to junior showmanship. I was convinced that L would not do well, as he has not practiced showing much. He does spend a lot of time with his goat, and she trusts and adores him, but he does not work with her enough. I was proven wrong when he again took the purple ribbon and the trophy.

Lastly he had to participate in “master showman” which was basically the grand champion drive of showmanship. He just could not outshow the older kids—some 17 & 18 years old. But I was proud of him, as the judge gave him some pointers in the previous class, and he put all of them to use in this class. So it sank in.

So, he came home with 5 trophies, 3 purple ribbons and a blue ribbon. Woo hoo!

The greatest thing of all? He is always shocked that he wins. He looks like Miss America out there when he wins! He always looks at me with his mouth open, like he can’t believe it, and then he ALWAYS hugs his goat. : )

Tomorrow we go back for the milking competition. Once again, I think we may not win, but hell, I have been proven wrong this entire day. Go Cindi!

Show Day

2007-07-18T07:47:00.000-05:00

L shows his goat today. Wish him luck! I'll post later today on how he did.

lazy

2007-07-16T20:19:00.001-05:00

I must have a hearing problem. All of my life I have heard (what I thought was) folks referring to the “lazy days of summer.” You know, the Country Time Lemonade commercials with people sitting on their front porches in a swing with a glass of icy lemonade?

Well, it ain’t happening here. I think that I must have misheard. The expression is actually the “CRAZY days of summer.”

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE summer. I adore the birds singing me awake every morning (even if it is a bit too early for my tastes). I love not having to take 5 minutes to dress myself before going out to do chores. I LIVE for spending breezy nights on the hammock.

However, the to-do lists become much longer in the summer, just because the days are longer and the weather is more cooperative. Pens need to be built, fences need to be shored up, there is much cleaning to do. Plus, there is the preparation for winter—baling hay and weatherproofing the barn.

Of course, there is still the inside work, even though we try and take it outside if we can. B built me a great clothesline, and we have enjoyed our line-dried clothes immensely (and our $50 electric bills!). But that does require more work. Not a huge amount more, but still more than popping it “next door” to the washer into the dryer and pushing the button.

And there are the paying jobs, which do not cease.

And the invitations to picnics, cookouts, zoos and attractions that are much more fun in the summer than in the winter.

For goats, it is show season, which not only means spending your weekends at the shows (which seem to always require hours of travel and overnight stays), but the weekends that you are not showing involve preparation for shows—hoof trimming, bathing, clipping, training to lead, etc. And there is the insane obsession with your goat’s condition, of course. For what it’s worth, we have decided not to show this year, with the exception of L showing his goat at the county 4H fair. Which happens to be coming up this Wednesday. So guess what we did this past weekend?

My days start at 5:30, except for the weekends, which (though they should actually start EARLIER so I could cram everything in) start at about 8:00, if I am staying home. Each morning I usually check my email and my calendar for the day, dress and head out to the barn at 6:00. I spend about 45 minutes in the barn, feeding, milking Cindi (nobody else is up that early to help), feeding, moving animals to the correct outside pens. We have the goats, of course, still have Joe Llama, and the horse and cats and geese. We now have the 2 Maremma dogs that we are training, and we are working them and ensuring that they are bonded with the goats, so we place goats accordingly. We also have the chickens, which need food and water 2x a day.

I finish that at about 6:45am, and hit the shower. Truthfully, I try to be on the road by 7:05 and most days do pretty well. No earrings or much makeup for me! No time! I am to work by 7:45, though I am supposed to be in by 7:30. I work until 3:00, or a little later in the summer. During the school year I leave promptly so I can be home to catch the bus when it gets here.

I get home about 3:45 or 4:00, and usually finish up any work that I brought home from work. Sometimes it’s a little or none, sometimes it takes me the entire evening. By 5:00, B and I are planning supper, and I try to take some time to tidy up the house. It doesn’t always get done, but this is the plan anyway.

He comes home with supper, and we fix it and eat, and are done by 7:00. Time to clean up from supper, and do anything else that needs doing—laundry or dishes or vaccuming.

We go out to the barn about 7:30 or 8:00, and usually take more time in the evenings. We love on the animals, discuss plans for moving pens, put our hands on them to make sure that they are healthy and sound, etc. We spend about an hour outside, usually. The kids help milk and also love on the animals.

We come in and the kids go to bed, and I am usually back to work in some way. Lately I have been working on websites for other people, so that consumes time. For whatever rreason, we seem to not be able to get to bed before 11:30.

Then it’s get up and do it all again.

However, it seems as though every day is some type of deviation from this. Today B worked late, and it’s 8:15 and he is just now coming home with supper. We’ve been collecting our things for the show, so nothing has been done around the house this afternoon. The kids and I spent some quality mom/kid time in the hammock. It was worth pushing everything back!

A good way to spend a Monday. Not a lazy day, but a few lazy moments.

Don't Piss Off the Goat!

2007-07-09T18:38:00.001-05:00

B and I lived in Chicago for years, and have eaten at the Billy Goat Tavern. We were more Sox fans than Cubs fans, but we knew about the curse. However, I had never heard the entire story until I read it on the restaurant's website:

(from http://www.billygoattavern.com)

The Curse of the Billy Goat

The Cubs were born the Chicago White Stockings in 1876, one of eight inaugural teams. The team would go on to win the first National league Championship and would become one of sports first dynasties by winning six of the first eleven championship titles (1876, 1880-82, 1885-86). The modern day "Cubs" would come into existence in 1903, and continue their success posting a record in wins in 1906 with 116 games won. This would also be their first pennant win as the "Cubs." The World Series title would be lost to their cross town rivals, the White Sox.

The following year, after a repeat pennant, they would go on to win their first World Series title in 1907. They returned the following year to win their second (and last) World Series becoming the first team in baseball to win back to back World Series Titles.

The Cubs continued their success capturing pennants in 1910, 1918 and an astounding four pennants in a ten year span (1929, 1932, 1935, 1938). The Cubs would play in the World Series in each of those years. Their final pennant would come in 1945, the year the Cubs faced the Detroit Tigers and a local Chicago saloon owner named William "Billy Goat" Sianis with his goat, Murphy.

From 1876 to 1945, The Chicago Cubs were one of the most successful baseball teams in the country. They would post a 5475-4324 (.559) record, with 51 winning seasons, 16 first place finishes, and 16 pennants and World Series appearances. They would win two World Series titles and six Championship titles in that span. This would come to a screeching halt in game four of the 1945 World Series. 1945- "Who Stinks Now?"

October 6th, a sad day in Cubs history. The Cubs entered game four of the World Series leading the Detroit Tigers 2 games to 1, and needing to win only two of the next four games played at Wrigley Field. A local Greek, William "Billy Goat" Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern and a Cubs fan, bought two tickets to Game four. Hoping to bring his team good luck he took his pet goat, Murphy, with him to the game. At the entrance to the park, the Andy Fran ushers stopped Billy Goat from entering saying that no animals are allowed in the park. Billy Goat, frustrated, appealed to the owner of the Cubs, P.K. Wrigley. Wrigley replied, "Let Billy in, but not the goat." Billy Goat asked, "Why not the goat?" Wrigley answered, "Because the goat stinks." According to legend, the goat and Billy were upset, so then Billy threw up his arms and exclaimed, "The Cubs ain't gonna win no more. The Cubs will never win a World Series so long as the goat is not allowed in Wrigley Field." The Cubs were officially cursed. Subsequently, the Cubs lost game four, and the remaining series getting swept at home and from the World Series. Billy Goat promptly sent a telegram to P.K. Wrigley, stating, "Who stinks now?" For the next twenty years, throughout the remainder of Billy Goat's life the Cubs would finish each season at 5th place or lower, establishing a pattern that would reverse the Cubs luck and term the team "The Lovable Losers." The World Series would become a dream, and "wait 'til next year" would become the team's motto. From 1946 to 2003, the Cubs would post a 4250-4874 (.466) record, have only 15 winning seasons, finish in first place a mere 3 times, have no pennants, no World Series appearances let alone wins, with only four post season experiences (1984, 1989, 1998, 2003) resulting in a complete reversal of their fortunes. The Cubs were and are a cursed franchise.

1969- "Miracle" Mets or "Cursed" Cubs

In 1969, a year before he passed away, "Billy Goat" Sianis finally felt satisfied and claimed the curse is lifted, but the goat still was bitter. The Cubs began the season winning and coasted throughout the season into mid-August with a commanding first place lead. By the end of the season a surging "Miracle" Mets overtook the struggling "Cursed" Cubs to claim first place and knock the Cubs out of contention. This would become a pattern over the years.

1973- One limo, a red carpet, and a goat denied once again

In 1973, Billy Goat's nephew, Sam Sianis, with the help of Tribune columnist, Dave Condon, brought the goat to Wrigley in an attempt to lift the curse. The goat was escorted to Wrigley in a white limousine, and given a red carpet entrance to the park with a sign saying, "All is forgiven. Let me lead the Cubs to the pennant." The ushers at the entrance denied the goat "Socrates," a descendant of Murphy, yet again. The Cubs saw their mid-season first place lead whither away to another unsuccessful season.

1984- Eight outs away

The Tribune Company, new owners of the Cubs, finally invited the goat to opening day at Wrigley Field in an attempt to lift the curse. Sam Sianis and his goat finally walked the grass of Wrigley Field, and in an effort to lift the curse Sam raised his hat and said, "The curse is lifted." The Cubs won and won and won their way to their first post season game and division title in almost forty years. They continued their winning taking the first two games of the National League Championship Series against the San Diego Padres. They just needed to win one of the next three games at San Diego to finally reach the World Series. Sam and his goat waited for the call to go along with the team and ensure the victory, only to be left behind in Chicago.

After losing games three and four in San Diego, the Cubs were leading the Padres 3-2 in the seventh inning, with only eight outs needed to win the game and the ace pitcher Rick Sutcliffe at the helm. An eerie chain of events would ensue. A routine ground ball was hit to first baseman, Leon Durham, which dribbled through his legs allowing the tying run to score. An overworked Rick Sutcliffe, who dominated game one, yielded the remaining three runs. The Padres swept the Cubs in San Diego, and swept the Cubs out of the series. The Cubs were still cursed.

1989- So Close, So Far

Hoping for a repeat of 1984, Sam Sianis and his goat again walked the field of Wrigley on opening day. The Cubs again won their way to first place and their second division title in five years. But the goat was left behind once again in the post season, where the Cubs lost to the San Francisco Giants four games to one.

1994- "Let the Goat in!"

The Cubs started the 1994 season horribly, losing twelve home games in a row. Their worst home start in history. In an effort to end this streak, Sam Sianis and his goat went to Wrigley Field only to be denied entrance yet again. Amidst the chant of "Let the Goat in!" amongst the Wrigley crowd, Hall of Famer, Ernie Banks helped by escorting Sam and his goat into Wrigley. The Cubs won the game 5-2, ending their worst home start ever. A lesson learned?

1998- Bring in the Wild Card

In 1998, the Cubs finished the season with 89 wins, tied with the San Francisco Giants for the Wild Card. During the Tiebreaking game on Sept. 28th, the Cubs brought in their Wild Card, Sam and his goat. The Cubs would go on to win the game 5-3 and went into the post season as a Wild Card. But once again Sam and his goat were left behind in Chicago, while the Cubs got swept in Atlanta, and swept out of the post season.

2003- Five outs away

The Cubs ended the 2003 season in a tight race with the Houston Astros. When the goat was sent to Houston in an effort to reverse the curse, Houston lost while the Cubs won their first division title in fourteen years. The Cubs were on a roll. They would go on to beat the Atlanta Braves, winning their first post season series in almost 100 years. In the National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins, the Cubs took a quick 3 game lead needing only one more victory to go to the World Series for the first time in almost sixty years. In game six of the series, with the ace Mark Prior at the helm, the Cubs entered the eighth inning leading 3-0. Once again the goat was left behind, and an eerie chain of events would ensue. With only five outs needed to secure a victory, a pop foul seemingly in play was interfered with by a fan taking away a sure out. That was followed by the next play, when a routine ground ball was hit to the sure handed Alex Gonzalez only to be bobbled, taking away an inning ending double play. Ace pitcher, Mark Prior, overworked, yielded the tying and leading runs, until the Marlins left the eighth leading 8-3. The Marlins ended up winning the game, then swept the Cubs at home and swept them out of the playoffs yet again.

What does the future hold in store for the Cubs? Many attempts have been made to lift the curse, yet the goat still has not seen his baseball game. One moment in time, one horrible mistake in game four of the 1945 World Series, has yielded years of pain and anguish for Cubs fans abroad. The Chicago Cubs prior to the curse were one of the best teams in baseball, and after the curse have become the "Lovable Losers." If the Cubs are ever again in a situation, where they are outs away from the World Series, will the goat get the call? For the sake of the Cubs, "LET THE GOAT IN!"

MK's Meme

2007-07-03T23:05:00.001-05:00

In order for the black magic spell not to be cast upon MK, I am helping him out by playing along with his meme. His answers will be infinitely better than mine.

Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

Eight Facts:
1. Three of my friends in college (two of them suitemates) are on television. One is a relatively famous actress, and the other two are reporters/anchorwomen. I have some good blackmail on the actress... ; )
2. Once upon a time I had my nose pierced.
3. I used to teach English as a second language.
4. I was detained (but not arrested) by the police as a teenager for "parking."
5. I had my tonsils out when I was 18, and I brought them to school in a jar of formaldehyde.
6. I was a baton twirler for years, and used to lead the parades every holiday in my hometown.
7. I like snakes (not for pets, but just in general). I used to catch salamanders all the time when I was a child.
8. My first car was a 1967 Camaro. My dad hopped it up for me and put a corvette engine in it. It was fun! (My children will be getting Yugos or Fiats when they drive!)

Tag, you're it.

some good news!

2007-07-01T18:24:00.000-05:00

B went for a walk down by the creek this morning, and he said that the water was running crystal clear, and there was a small, clear pool in one section, and there were fish in it! That is fantastic news. We have seen crayfish and tadpoles there before, but it's great to know that even with all the farmland around us, that the pesticides are very minimal and life is good in the creek.

We worry about that, you know...

No haying today, still not cut. B says it's not as thick and tall as in previous years. While we are dreading the work, we'll dread it more if we're paying through the nose this winter for hay. So we need 2 cuttings. Cross your fingers.

up to lots...

2007-06-30T23:27:00.000-05:00

OMG, it’s nearly the end of June and the month has gotten away from me! It has been so long since I have updated, and I have much to report. I don’t really know where to start…

We are all great. My mom came to visit, and we had a great time showing them the farm. My mom and I made some goat’s milk beauty products, and she wants to start selling them. She has agreed to do the work, so hey, what more could I ask for? It continues to be a fun project to launch.

L is getting ready for our county fair, in mid July. He just came back from visiting his grandparents in California today, and he has a long list of things waiting for him to do! We will clip her tomorrow.

M came back from Arizona a couple of weeks ago. It is good to have them both back, but they did enjoy their time away.

Back in May I said we had some new livestock. We have chickens! Twenty six chickens were delivered, but we recently lost three of them. So we are down to 23. They spent the first few weeks of their lives in a kiddie pool in our basement, but are now in a larger enclosed pen in the garage. Hopefully they will move outside to the yet-to-be-built coop soon.

We also have four geese. M named them Greta, Lucy, Jemima and Harriet. We don’t know which one is which, but they don’t really answer to their names anyway.

Everyone else is fine, just more of them. We have a new goat, Victoria, who is being bred to the amazing buck Diamond. We should be getting her in a month or so, when we’re sure she’s bred. Yay!

We have put in more fencing, and now have another pasture for the goats. Soon we will bale hay. We should have put our first cutting up by now, but circumstances have just prevented that, including rain. Soon we hope!

The most exciting news is that we have some new puppies! They are officially, “Cane Pastore Maremmano-Abruzzese.” Americans call them Maremmas. They are Italian sheep guardian dogs, and we were lucky enough to find a breeder a couple of states away. We visited last weekend and snapped them up. We named them Roseanne Roseannadanna (Rosie) and Guido Sarducci (Guido). You can read more about maremmas here. And I’ll close my update with a photo of Rosie and Guido. Aren’t they adorable?!

More soon!!

So Sad

2007-06-10T19:01:00.000-05:00

This happened in my hometown. I lived in a small town nearby, and attended school in this town. I lived there for 19 years before I married B and moved away. In fact we were married in this town.

So, so, so tragic. : ( It just makes you realize how anything can happen even in your idyllic little corner of the universe.

Wisconsin Tragedy

It's gonna be hard...

2007-05-09T08:17:00.000-05:00

As I have mentioned before, I have the flexibility to work at home when I need to. L is sick today, recovering from a upper respiratory infection, and it's my turn to stay home with him. No big deal, except I have work to do at work and at home. It's 70 degrees (on its way to 77), the birds are singing, the goats are out romping, and I hear no other sound. I am looking forward to sneaking in a work break that involves hanging clothes on the line and maybe even mowing the lawn. But, my wonderful husband, when he was home with the sick boy yesterday, put my hammock up. Curse him! (Bless him!)

So now I am on the fence. Maybe I'll take a personal day. Goodness knows after my meeting last week, I NEED one!

Wish me luck.

Oh, here are the pictures I promised of Duke.

Duke

2007-05-07T20:52:00.000-05:00

The goat babies are being weaned now, so we are using less milk. I bought a pasteurizer (thanks to B's mom and dad for their great birthday gift-- I bought a pasteurizer and strainer and other supplies) and soon we'll be having our own goat's milk to drink. Cindi is putting out more than a gallon a day, so we will have lots to spare.

At this point, I am freezing the extra milk so that if we have any orphans, we will have some milk to give them. But the cats are also enjoying it. Initially I liked to spray it into the "crowd' of cats (it's quite a crowd with a dozen cats) and watch them lick each other in a giant feline love fest. However, lately, I have been spraying the milk into the kitty crowd, and one cat in particular is seeking out the milk stream for his own.

Here is a youtube video of Duke getting the milk:

Tomorrow I will post a funny photo of him, but I want you to see this first.

I didn't need the entire farm after all...

2007-04-26T13:43:00.000-05:00

Woman Keeps Goat in Minivan I especially like the informative photo and caption.

Also, check out this funny YouTube Video about farming.

Yeah, it's what we do.

To Set You Straight

2007-04-23T20:13:00.000-05:00

I have been reading a lot of things lately, forums that I participate in, as well as emails to my commercial website. And I have to say that even as a city girl (I was born in Phoenix, AZ), I am shocked at what people don't know. So, without any judgement, here are some facts that you need to know. These are things that other folks have asked about (though they have not actually asked me *all* of these questions). Don't ever say that I didn't try to edu-ma-cate ya:

1. Goats have no top teeth. If you look at your goat and it has no top teeth, there is no cause to panic or email me. They will not grow in, nor did your lovely pet grind them down to nothing. It's the way God made 'em.

2. Goats do not lay eggs. Eggs come from chickens or other types of poultry.

3. "Eggs from the farm" and "eggs from the store" are the same thing. They don't taste any different, except that farm eggs taste fresher and better. But don't say that you don't want eggs from the farm, you want them from the store. SAME THING.

4. Intact maile goats pee on their beards. Don't pet their golden beards unless you want a stinky hand.

5. If you want milk from any animal (goat, cow, sheep, whatever) you have to breed it first. No animal just spontaneously makes milk. And you have to breed it each year to keep the milk supply. Just like people.

6. Hens lay eggs with or without a rooster around. Hens make eggs. Roosters do that boy thing to 'em to make babies. Chickens have sex. No salmon-like-spawning going on. But they lay eggs with or without the boy.

7. Milk comes out white. You don't do anything to it to make it white. No strawberry or chocolate cows, either. And goats milk is also white.

8. Chickens are birds and can fly.

9. Yes, llamas really do spit. Don't ask me how I know.

10. Some chickens lay brown eggs, some lay white eggs. It depends on the breed. Both taste the same. Actually, some chickens even lay darker eggs, or blue or green eggs.

Okay, enough lessons for one day. I need to go to the barn to be skooled by my own animals.

The Old Goat's Tips For First Fresheners

2007-04-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

The kidding doe's secret code of honor is as old as goats themselves and is ultimately the species best kept secret. This guide is passed on from generation to generation in hopes that NO goat shall ever produce a kid before its time.

Its time being determined by the following factors:

1. No kid shall be born until total chaos has been reached by all involved. Your house must be a wreck, your family hungry and desperate for clean clothes, and your social life non-existent.

2. Midwives must reach the babbling fool status before you kid out. Bloodshot eyes, tangled hair and the inability to form a sentence means you're getting close.

3. For every bell, beeper, camera or whistle they attach to you, kidding must be delayed by at least one day for each item.

4. Vet check, add a day…internal, add three! If you hear the words, "She's nowhere near ready…you will be fine, while I'm away for the weekend," then wait 12 to 16 hours and pop that baby out!

5. Owner's stress must be at an all time high! If you are in the care of someone else, ten to fifteen phone calls a day is a sign you're getting close. When you hear the words, "I can't take it anymore!"…wait three days and produce a baby.

6. You must keep this waiting game interesting. False alarms are necessary! Little teasers such as looking at your stomach, pushing your food around in the bucket and then walking away from it are always good for a rise. Be creative and find new things to do to keep the adrenaline pumping in those who wait.

7. The honor of all goats is now in your hands. Use this time to avenge all of your barn mates. Think about your friend who had to wear that silly costume in front of those people. Hang onto that baby for another day. Oh, they made him do tricks too! Three more days seems fair. Late feedings, the dreaded diet, bad haircuts, those awful wormings can also be avenged at this time.

8. If you have fulfilled all of the above and are still not sure when to have this baby, listen to the weather forecast on the radio that has been so generously provided by those who wait. Severe thunderstorm warnings is what your looking for. In the heart of the storm jump into action! The power could go out and you could have the last laugh. You have a good chance of those who wait missing the whole thing while searching for a flashlight that works!

9. Make the most of your interrupted nights. Beg for food each time someone comes into the barn to check on you. Your barn mates will love you as the extra goodies fall their way too!

If all else fails and they seem to be in constant attendance, time the delivery to when they rush to the bathroom for 2 minutes, or try to look perfectly comfortable so they rush for a "quick bite".

10. Remember, this code of honor was designed to remind man of how truly special goats are. Do your best to reward those who wait with a beautiful doe to carry on the goat code of honor for the next generation of those who wait!

–Author Unknown

Home Again

2007-04-20T23:21:00.000-05:00

We got home on Wednesday evening. It was a very un-Murphy trip-- you know, Murphy's law didn't much apply. That is certainly a deviation from the norm for us.

We got the news Friday, and left Saturday morning at 7:30. We were in Phoenix by 10:00 am local time. All went well, we saw everyone several times, and my brother let me use his truck. It was a godsend, and saved me some cash on a rental car. We stayed with my mom, since my dad had a house full of other family members.

Gram's funeral was very nice. Well, as nice as a funeral can be. She looked beautiful-- I thought she would sit up and shake her finger at me and tell me not to cry! Her skin was smooth and she looked so peaceful. She wore the dress she wore to her 50th wedding anniversary celebration, and when she renewed her vows. She held a beautiful cross necklace and my grandpa's wedding ring.

B's mom suggested that I share my Ruth post with my family, and I did share it with my dad. He asked me to read it at her funeral, and though I really wrote those thoughts as a comfort to myself, I did as he asked and read them. We all laughed and cried, and in the end I am happy I read them. I think a lot of folks shared my thoughts about her.

I have only one grandma left now, and I spent a lot of time with her. You know, Grandmas are really special. I remember when I was little, my grandparents and I had our special little "secrets" that we shared. My grandfather called me "Ole" (nobody knows why...). He told me that he always wanted me to take very good care of my teeth. He said he wanted me to have all of my teeth when I was 50. I have only had one tiny filling in my adult teeth, so I am on track (though I do have a few years left...). He made me fried eggs cooked in butter, and then yummy toast to dunk in the butter and yolks. He called them "dunkers." He died when I was 10, and I still miss him. My grandma (his wife) and I took a vacation together after I graduated from high school. I flew to AZ and she and I took a road trip in her car through the mountains and went to San Diego. We went to Sea World and a few other places. It was a blast. Now that I am older, I treasure the wisdom that they have. I love to hear the stories that they tell. It sounds so cliche-- everyone says that. But really, she told me about when she was young, and they killed a chicken for supper. They had to go pick one out, kill it, and pluck the feathers. First they put it in water. Oh, but they had to get the water from the well, haul it up and boil it. Ugh, can you imagine? I would have had to start preparing for supper at 10 am. She also talked about how, since her father died young and left her mother with 4 children under 14, they had to sell milk and eggs for money. They bottled up their milk every day and took it into town. They had their own milk route.

My grandfather was in the Air Force, just like B. The oddest thing is that our time in Europe followed some in their shoes. While I was there, my gram and my mom came over and visited friends that they had made while over there. It was wild! My grandma gives me really cool gifts of china and dishes that she got while she lived in some of the areas that I lived. It means so much to me because we shared some of the same paths in our lives, many years apart.

She gave me her grandmother's ring when I was there. It is absolutely beautiful. I wore it for a while, but then chores got in the way. I will wear it as often as I can.

I am still jet lagged. I am so old, I can't believe how affected I am.

I missed the kids, but especially B. I missed him terribly. It's so good to be home with him.

ruth

2007-04-13T11:02:00.000-05:00

she passed away this morning

my dad called when i hit 'pubish' on the blog

she is closer now, i suppose

i will be incommunicado for the next few days as i travel to her funeral

ruth

2007-04-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

my gram
strongest woman i know

mother of 7
gram of 13
great-gram of 23

is dying

my parents married young
had me young
too young
children themselves

my gram was there for them
for me
raised them
while they raised me

we always lived nearby
i took her for granted
like i did my parents
she a permanent fixture in my life

as a teen
ashamed of our plain-ness
ashamed of our rural heritage i was
embarassed that we were not more
than we were

finally
a parent myself
nothing but pride
i marveled at her ability to love her children equally
regardless of their faults
through their successes, failures, addictions
a restaurateur, a truck driver, an artist, a store clerk
through boyfriends, babies, failed marriages
she celebrated family
and togetherness
with all of her prodigal children

second only to Jesus
she could make two loaves and a few fishes
(or a pound of ground beef)
feed thousands
her barbecue beef recipe is my favorite

she had a passion for family
she and i traced our tree
back to when it was a sapling
a pioneer family we were
the stuff of legends
and she carried the spirit

her strength was unrivaled
born to farmers
they divorced in the 40’s—unheard of
she had the original wicked stepmother

grew up to love her children unconditionally
to be our family’s rock
strong, wise, calm
grace personified

i last saw her in 2004
too long ago
according to everyone
myself included

she reigned over my cousin’s wedding
“The Matriarch”
sitting, dancing with her family all around her
but always graceful she
did not outdo the bride

sat by the side
of her dying husband
for two years
while he suffered with leukemia
rarely left the house
he was her life

she had big plans after he died
church with the other widows
shopping with daughters
vacations back to Wisconsin
computer classes

even had a boyfriend

it started with a bad hip
replaced in 2006
she never walked again

now she does not talk much
sits in a wheelchair
in a nursing home
muscles atrophied
battles seizures nearly every day
eyes half open
mouth half closed

waits for visitors
her children come daily

my strong gram
my rock
my role model
gone

all that is left is a shell of a woman
a great woman
my memories of her tremendous strength
and my guilt
for living so far away
and seeing her so little

i pray for her peace
and i pray for mine

Help for the Traumatized

2007-04-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

Goat Trauma is nothing to mess with. I still have the atomic wedgie episode fresh in my mind.

Saturday

2007-04-07T13:14:00.000-05:00

It is bitterly cold here! In the past three weeks we have had record highs, and now we are having record lows. The excitement never ends.

We are busy preparing for our new livestock, which we should be getting next week. I will definitely post photos!

I had hoped to get some spring work done outside, on the hogshed (converting it for the goats), as well as some new pens made and electric fence put up. However, the cold and the wind make me want to do nothing but stay inside. We will make a trip to town and pick up more supplies for the new animals, plus supplies for Easter! It's tomorrow. you know!

I have finished the blog changes. I hope you like them! I like them. The picture in the left margin is one of our new does, Precious. She is beautiful, and it shows in that picture!

Happy weekend, and happy Easter. Stay warm.

A Little Update

2007-04-04T09:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I am working on a new blog template, so bear with me. It will be goat-themed, if I can do it correctly. I'm trying to push the limits on my web coding. And I am succeeding.

A lot has been going on lately. I will be getting some new livestock soon, and it is NOT GOATS!! You will have to wait to find out... less than a week.

L and I went to a big goat seminar on Saturday, it was wonderful. We both learned a lot.

We are still struggling 2x a day to milk Cindi. She is such a pill! I have been successful in getting her on the fitting stand by myself, and have just had to do it that way. I would love for her to be able to stand and eat in her stall, but she fights me so much and tries to run away, I have to tie her up. It's strange, because my milking has not bothered Precious or Tango, but seems to bother Cindi. I can't see any cuts or injuries on her udder, which leads me to believe she's just being a diva.

Spring sprung, which means that our outside to-do list is reading and waiting. We have been given an immense amount of wood from a construction project, so we have TONS of materials that were free for the taking. I bet it is $500 or more worth of wood. We are going to construct a buck pen and redo a hog house for shelter for the goats. I already have the electric fence charger, and need to just buy the fencing and t posts and put that up. We do already have some permanent fence.

I've also been toying with the idea of fencing off the front of the house. If you picture three pastures on the sides of our house-- one on the right, one on the left, and one in back. So they make sort of an angular U shape. Our house sits right in the middle of the U, closed off at the top by the road. We could easily fence off the front and put a gate on our driveway. It would isolate us from folks somewhat, but it would be more peace of mind. We are always worried about the neighbor dogs, the three "jobless" Great Pyrenees who make our farm their job. I am terrified that they will attack one of the goat kids. Also, if any goats got out of their pasture, that would be another fence that they would have to go through to get to the road and actually escape from our property. And MK thinks that we should turn them loose in the yard anyway and forego the mowing. : ) I bet that B agrees with that.

So we have plenty of projects, and as the temperature lapped at the 80 degree mark on the thermometer, we were motivated. However, as I woke up to 30 mph winds, with gusts up to 50 mph, 20 degree temperatures and flurries this morning, I just wanted to crawl back in bed with my cats and a book. Alas, there was a sassy goat and twin kids waiting for me to tend to them. And my day started.

But it's Wednesday! And Easter this weekend. Hopefully my Easter lilies that are erupting in my garden will not be deterred by this frost! Same for the lilacs.

Monday

2007-03-26T20:05:00.000-05:00

Well, we got the plumber's snake, and got the clog out. It was not a pritchard teat, as I had suspected, but it was a dishcloth. Formerly a dishcloth-- Drano can wreak havoc on a cotton cloth.

And I managed to get more than 2 quarts out of the goats this evening.

And I had a good IEP meeting at school with M's teachers.

So, I think it is tentatively a good evening... :) Maybe my streak is ending?

Did you think it would get better?

2007-03-26T09:41:00.000-05:00

Well, think again. It did NOT get better on Sunday.

We prayed hard at church for a more productive day, but it did not come to pass. Our first indication of that should have been when we came home from church to find our power out. It was out for about the next 2.5 hours. Fortunately, it was a gorgeous day, so the outage was mostly just an inconvenience, if a bit worrisome (food spoilage). It came back on again for about an hour, and then went out again for about 2.5 hours. It seems to be on now...

B fixed the dryer. But it has some other problem which makes it continue to stop. I think that it did need the belt replaced, so it was not a waste of effort. But we need to still babysit the dryer, and I'd like to find out what the problem is. Thermostat? Motor? Timer? It might be time to call the repairman. Not because he can't fix it, but we are wasting a lot of time in diagnostics, plus we don't want to put money into unnecessary parts.

The drain is still clogged. He did get it all back together yesterday, but the pritchard teat is still clogging (I am CERTAIN that's what it is). He went to get a plumber's snake (probably a good idea for us to get one of those), but the hardware store was closed. Of course it was. So the sink is still full of standing water.

Our church is building an addition, and they have extra scrap wood. We can use it all for pens and for fixing an outbuilding that we are planning to repair this spring. The wood is beautiful and very sturdy. There are even some 20' boards that will be incredibly helpful for building pens. The items are free for the taking. Except that our pickup truck battery is dead. DEAD. DEAD. DEAD. Won't even take a jump from my car. So we crammed as much as we could into the back of my SUV. And broke some of the interior plastic on the back of my car.

In the morning I had to rassle with Cindi to get her milked. I was wearing some low-rise jeans, which gives me plumber butt when I sit on the bucket to milk her. She reached around to give me a wedgie and tore the lace trim off of my underwear. Little brat. I can't put her in the fitting stand because she won't go voluntarily, and I can't lift her. She gives me more trouble than the buck.

So Sunday did not pan out to be very productive. I did chores at about 8:00. The kids ate at 8:30 and had to have grilled cheese because I was so miserably behind.

Lest you think that Monday would be magical, B called me from his way to work and told me that he hit the neighbor dog on his way out.

And the Fun Continues

2007-03-24T21:52:00.000-05:00

Well, today did not pan out to be any better than yesterday. I slept too late (see a pattern here?), got out to the barn late, and again had some caprine wrestling events to get her milked (not because I was late, but because she is a DIVA). I came inside to start my list, which included some goat things and working on a website that I am creating/maintaining on the side.

I intended to tattoo the babies today. But I had no green ink, and went to the farm store where they did not have any.

I intended to give CD&T vaccinations. Except that my vaccine had expired. I did not use much before it expired, so that was a double pisser. Again, the farm store does not carry it.

I intended to worm the goats. I did not have enough dewormer to do everyone. The farm store did have that, but not the same type. I can still use it, but it's not the best option. Not a total failure...

The pipe that B attempted to fix last night did not get fixed. He came home with the wrong part. It was just in the cards-- they were stacked against him. He went this morning to get the part, and got the correct part. He got it fixed, but the drain was still plugged. He used the plunger, and burst another rusted pipe. (We can't tell that they are rusted, as the corrosion is on the inside-- the outside is shiny silver.) As I type this, he is fixing the pipes. We have been unable to use the kitchen sink for going on 30 hours. Last night we did dishes by setting the dishpans and drainer in the bathtub. We have eaten out today for every meal except breakfast. I actually think the clog is one of the nipples for the baby goat bottles. They cost $5.00 each at the farm store.

The dryer is still not fixed.

I did not get the website finished. I am sitting down to do that after this post.

We did drink last night, but B spilled his Guinness all over my ABGA herd inventory papers that I have to send back. It was a waste of a good beer, and I am bummed about the papers.

We can only hope that tomorrow goes better.

One of those days...

2007-03-23T19:13:00.000-05:00

I thought it was going to be a good day. There ARE lots of good things about this day, one being that I worked from home, so I worked in sweats from the couch, enjoying the gorgeous view. The kids were good, quiet and didn't fight. It was a gorgeous, 70 degree day, too, and my "breaks" were spent enjoying the spring loveliness.

HOWEVER, it was one crappy stroke of luck after another.

I slept too late. Which, in and of itself was a good thing. But that puts me late to the barn, and the animals disapprove. Disapproval is demonstrated in lots of yelling and little cooperation. This morning I was treated to an uncooperative milker, who tried her best to get away from me. I couldn't lift her onto the fitting stand, and she would not stand still. Several times she stepped into the milk bucket. That ordeal over, I was ready to get to work.

I had an issue with Quark Express, which meant that I needed to reinstall the program. We had it at work, and I had to download it from our apps server-- it took me 3 hours. : ( On high speed broadband. I had to download Quark before I could do about 10 other things that were on my list.

Then I went to do laundry. To find out that my dryer belt had broken. I can't dry my clothes now. And laundry was not done by any stretch of the imagination.

So then I moved to dishes. And I found that the sink was stopped up. I used the plunger with no success. Suddenly L told me that there was a huge puddle on the floor-- my overzealous plunging had burst an ancient pipe under the sink. It was draining all over the floor. I have dishes all over my countertops and on the stove. And dishpans full of water sitting out. It's 8:15 and B is at the hardware store getting parts. So he can fix the sink. So I can fix supper. So the kids can shower and go to bed.

So I can drink heavily.

Then one of the kids noticed that one of the goats was out. I went to guide her back into the barn, and instead of going into the barn, she tried to get back into the paddock-- by going under the fence. Which is like a 4" space. So of course, she could not get back out. Was stuck under the fence by her horns. Thank GOD she did not panic, which is what I would have expected her to do. She just lied down calmly until I could manipulate her head and horns out from underneath the fence.

Next was rassling with the uncooperative milker, who ended up spilling about 3/4 of a quart of milk. I could have strangled her. We need nearly a gallon of milk a day to feed the babies, and she spilled a good deal of it. No, I didn't cry over spilled milk, but I was sure pissed about it. It's one thing if it's an accident, but she's just being a diva pill, and there is no reason for it. It feels good to her to have that milk milked out of her, and we are gentle and kind to her.

B just called. Of COURSE the hardware store in our little town was closed, so he had to go into the big city. He isn't even there yet. Ugh, what a crappy day.

However, I know that I can still find three good things today, which is hopeful. But I can find about a million bad things...

Here's to tomorrow.

Stop Look & Listen!

2007-03-23T00:05:00.000-05:00

It's SPRING!!! I can't believe it's here already. It was a long winter, but it did seem to fly by at times, and we did get a break for most of the season. It was bitterly cold, and we did have our share of snow. But that is over!

Listen...

And it's turned green in the past 8 hours!

In unrelated events, this weekend I will be tattooing and registering the new babies. We have decided to name them Wallace Wensleydale and Wendolene Ramsbottom . (Wally & Wendy)

Happy Friday!

Country Speak Redux

2007-03-18T21:19:00.000-05:00

Okay, I thought more of you would know the answer to this! I guess I am a bumpkin after all, eh?

Gee is the teamster's term to signal a turn to the right. If you are driving a horse, and you want him to turn to the right, you say, "gee, gee, gee, gee" until he turns as far/sharp you want him to turn. Haw is the term to signal a turn to the left. It's strange though, I have ridden and driven the same horse, but I have never told him to gee or haw when I was riding him. I don't know why you don't use the terms when you are riding the animal. He must wonder that, too. But he's so smart that he just does what he's told and realizes he's smarter than the people telling him what to do (like any good employee).

Anyway, if your road "gee-haws" at a point, it jogs left, and then jogs right. Yes, MK, the road gee haws just after you turn onto gravel, and hit the straightaway. It actually "haws" just before the Old Crow Farm, and then "gees" after it, and then goes up and down the hill. It also gee haws just past our house as you go up the corkscrew hill.

Quite a lot of them in my area. Thank God they are gee-haws and not jihads.

Country Speak

2007-03-17T19:07:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I gave a friend directions to my house. I told him that my road made a gee-haw at a certain point. He said, "A jihad? There is a jihad on your road?" I explained a gee-haw, and he had never heard of it in his life. He managed to make it to my house, and avoid the jihad on my road, too.

Do you know what a gee-haw is? Is it that strange of a term?

Loose Ends

2007-03-15T10:26:00.000-05:00

Such is my life. My mantra is always, “well, things won’t be as crazy once I get through _____ (insert Christmas, Lent, this next conference, my trip to xxx, the school year, WHATEVER is consuming me at the moment).” That is such a bald-faced lie. Because even if that were the case—that my schedule would calm down and I would have an actual LULL in my responsibilities-- all of the things that I did not do during my crazy time would be needing to be done, and I would be scrambling. That is how it works. When I am facing some critical deadlines at work, it is always, “hurry up and get this done by the deadline.” Then when the deadline has passed, it’s always, “hurry up and get caught up on your late stuff before the next deadline looms, and you have to drop everything to meet the deadline for that certain project.” And I never get caught up, so the deadline looms, I drop everything to work on the project that’s due, and then pick up the late stuff again when that project’s finished.

It is very emotional for me, someone who needs closure and completeness. Learning to cope with this is a huge part of my therapy, and frankly, it is taking a long time for me to come to terms with it. My therapist has suggested getting a different job, but I do like what I do. I don’t have the answers, though I hope that someday I will be able to live with unfinished projects and that I will never have everything done.

That is part of the increased responsibility—when I first started here, in an assistant capacity, I had a list, and finished everything on it, and could leave and go home feeling that my tasks were done. Now, however, the responsibility falls on me, and the things are never done. I do have an assistant now, but it is still difficult to offload those projects without feeling some responsibility for them getting done, even if someone else is doing them. So it’s not really offloading them 100%.

Anyway, don’t know why I am moaning today, just feeling overwhelmed.

The goats are good. Cindi is healing, we are trying to come to terms with only having 2 babies to show for our kidding season, and we will all be fine. It is discouraging, as you pay for pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, extra feed, extra medication and supplements. You put everything on the calendar, vaccinate at certain dates, build special pens, buy special equipment, watch them like a hawk, hurry to get it all done before kidding season, and most of the kids die. It is hard to come to terms with. But we will move forward!

Making lemonade

2007-03-11T22:37:00.000-05:00

Well, we're trying to make the best of the situation, and "graft" the bottle baby kids onto Cindi. We shall see how it goes.

Lost another one

2007-03-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

Cindi had a beautiful doeling this morning, but it was malpresented. We did everything we could, including calling the vet who claimed he was "tied up" and could not come out, and couldn't give us anyone to call instead. The baby died.

Cindi is doing as well as can be expected. I am not, nor is L.

We lost three doelings this season. I can't believe our bad luck. We do have two beauties, and are thankful for them, but it just has not been a good spring.