Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

Well, FJ - I did have to shovel a little bit. The water backed up and I had to dig a little drainage ditch to help it move along.... And, it drizzled/rained all night and still dripping this morning. GEEZE LOUISE!

I know in a few weeks I'll be reveling in the sunshine and heat, but right now I'm just wondering if this mess will ever end... But on the bright side - (cuz you gotta look for a bright side or you'll get depressed and start taking your frustrations out on everybody and everything who ever annoyed you in life!) oh yea.... I was looking for a bright side... all this dampness will probably result in an over abundance of coccidia and parasites? No wait, that wasn't bright.... all this wetness is making everything in my barn get moldy? Nope - that wasn't bright.... hmmmm... probably get a bunch of hoof rot in the goats.... nah...can't build fence in the mud? Uh uh... how about April showers (NOOOOOO!!!!) bring May flowers? No wait - it's not April yet and I don't want any more stinking showers and right now I could care less about a flower either!

Okay, I've got it....something bright is that... oh he** - I give up...

If April flowers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?













Pilgrims.

Got home from work a little early yesterday so I headed out to feed the critters. Maddie - the LGD - was at the back of the pasture raising he** at something. Now mind you she's usually the first one in line for her dinner! But now she won't come when I call her, she will turn towards me, take a few steps, and head back to the corner of the pasture barking and snarling...

So, I go back inside, grab a pistol and head out....slogging through the mud and the mess thinking that this better be good or I'm not gonna be happy about making this long mucky trek. The closer I get the more I get the idea that this is not the big, bad boogey man. I can see that it's a critter.... light colored and perched on top of a pole. Not a coon or a possum...hopeing it's not a bobcat...not quite that big and besides it's just sitting there - bobcat would not be waiting around like that. So, as I get closer I'm kinda laughing cuz even though Maddie is doing her job she's kinda taking extreme action for the circumstances...



However, I can't fault her cuz this particular critter has been seen hanging around the quail cages. We tend to have pretty regular escapees and he has learned to make a meal out of 'em. So, in essence, she was doing her job! Good girl, Maddie!

Way to go Maddie!

Yay Maddie!
We are just being mud season here and I am not happy about it. For the most part snow doesn't stick to your boots and its usually clean at least. Mud... ugh...

Totally agree! We've had more rain and more expected.... gee whiz! I try to tell myself we need it to replenish the ground water stores - and we do - but it doesn't make life any easier when you're slip sliding around with a bag of feed on your shoulder, lol!

Went to a reunion yesterday. It was for a bunch of us kids who grew up in the same neighborhood. Isn't it funny how some people never change and others you'd never, ever recognize without a name tag? It was good times though... Lotsa friends and lotsa food - can't beat that!

All is well on the farm. One goose is sitting...been about a week at least. I guess I shoulda put it on the calender, but I didn't. I separated the other pair and she's laying in her own little nest now. Not sure if she'll set 'em or not -but if not - I'll incubate 'em.

Hens are going full guns. Getting lots of eggs and selling a bunch at work. Got another person on the list last week. One person tells another and so on and so on and so on. So far, the girls are keeping up with the demand. I think they're close to supporting themselves now - and that's nice - cuz layer pellets are pricey!

Really, really hoping I can get some garden stuff done. It's too wet to till so I'm gonna work with what I've got for now. I wanted to open up another area a little further back to plant some of the more rambling vines. I'll get to it eventually, when it dries up a little more.

I decided NOT to till the existing garden this year. It's still rowed up from last year, so I'll give it a shot. It did have chickens and goats on over the winter so it should benefit from the fertilizer. Hopefully the goats didn't compact it too much.

I've already seen okra self-sprouting and I've got my fingers crossed that the basil will come back too. Some years it does - and other times it doesn't. Our ground is still pretty cool, so not sure what 'summer' plants I can get in just yet. This year will be interesting at best with the wonky weather we've had...

Best get busy - I'm already an hour behind.

I love spring break! Of course, I haven't accomplished nearly as much as I should have.... Not sure I've accomplished anything, lol. But, today I am going to plant peas. I've got to get some chickens out of the garden though. I keep throwing 'em out and they keep gettin' back in. Will be clipping wings tonight and closing off some areas of fencing that have hen sized openings. That'll show 'em, lol.

Real pleased that some of the chickens I've tossed out into the pasture are free-ranging alllll over the place. It helps them and it helps my feed bill too. Now - playing hide and seek for the eggs is not exactly my idea of fun. I've set up a nest in the barn that keeps the dog out and the eggs in and they finally found it. I got three eggs out of there yesterday. Maddie was giving me the stink eye the whole time! She seems to think those eggs have her name on them, lol.

Sadie (the murderess Westie) did it again - but in a good way! I went outside the other morning and found a rat in the live trap. We were headed out for the day and I didn't have time to deal with it just then so I left it. By the time we got home later that day Sadie had done the deed. She and her elderly father live in a luxury, high-security 'prison' in the back yard which up to this point had not been breached. She broke out of prison, dragged the live trap about 20 yards across the yard and had killed the rat while it was still IN the trap. I dunno how she did it - but she did.

The goat girls have been doing amazing things in the milking parlor. I don't know how after 10 months of milking they have INCREASED production! Not a lot, mind you - but by at least a cup or so a day. Doesn't sound like a lot but I only milk once a day and they are so far into this lactation that I can't believe they're increasing. Soooooo, today I'm going to start some cheese. Some nice Chevre with roasted garlic and rosemary - mmmmmmmm. I haven't made any since last year so I'm really looking forward to it.

Well, so far today I've been all talk and no action so I better get busy!

Omg the cheese sounds heavenly! Wish you were close enough I could visit because I'd love to get more experience with goats and other critters.

Well, come on down! I always enjoy some help ---oops---I mean, I always enjoy a guest, lol!

The cheese is coming along. It set up overnight, so I'll 'cut the cheese' this afternoon and get it hanging so it can drain - then add the roasted garlic and rosemary. I can't wait! Fresh cheese - the first since last year, yum!

My Spring Break list is slowly being whittled down... But, I didn't get the peas planted yesterday. I did however, get the rest of my red onions out. I had to work on garden fence alllllllllll day yesterday. I've been slowly replacing and re-doing the fencing around the garden. The fence is stock panels with 2 x 4 wire covering the larger holes so little critters can't get through. When we pulled it all down to replace rotten posts we had to take the smaller wire loose. So, yesterday I replaced it all. Oh man, it was an all day job but it is finally DONE! And - bonus - I added a new section to the garden. It's now "L" shaped and the additional area is roughly 48' x 20'. The plan is to put all the space consuming vines out there. I'll have to till it and get it mulched up. Being a new area I'm sure the weeds won't give up without a fight....

Today is windy and cooler - but should still be a good 'outside' day. I burned some garden debris yesterday while I was out there and it's a good thing it's done because it's waaaaay too windy to burn today. I'll rake the ashes around and spread them as much as possible. Wood ash seems to do something special for the soil.

I'm thinking about spending time in the little garden today. It's where most of my fall stuff has been growing. A few tomato plants along with some peppers are going in there today. I've decided to spread out my tomatoe plants this year in hopes that the bugs won't find all of them. I've already got some in a raised bed in the back yard and they're doing pretty well. Speaking of tomatoes - I'm going to try a new tactic for keeping the stink bugs off. I've tried covering the entire garden area with row cover... worked minimally cuz the bugs always figured out a way to get through it, around it, over it, under it.... or just houdini right through it. I was on a garden forum a while back and saw that some folks are using drawstring bags around each individual tomato or cluster of tomatoes. I found some sheer organza drawstring bags online and I ordered a bunch of 'em. I swear if this doesn't work I will have to have a green/screen house. I will have tomatoes, by golly!

Time to suit up and get busy....

I found one of the companies that I work with has a fertilizer that is supposed to repel bugs. I can't wait to try it. We have seen an explosion of wheel bugs and preying Mantis because of the stink bugs.