Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[baymule]

I hope they move closer to you!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Wellllll.... it looks like it's official! DD and kiddos are moving in! I'm just thrilled! Unfortunately, the reason for the move is because of a marriage that is ending. Long sad story, but is the best solution for this problem. She is ready to move ahead with her life and the kiddos are thrilled to be coming to Toto's house!

I'll be doing some serious closet cleaning for the next couple weeks. DH has been using one of the extra bedrooms for all his clothes storage...he calls it his "dressing room". That is the room that DD grew up in and serves as one of the guest rooms now. She will be taking that room back for now. That means that I've got to let DH back into MY closet space - AND back into MY bathroom. When everybody moved out years ago, I kicked him out of my bathroom! We have both enjoyed the arrangement and 'his' bathroom is only a few steps away from our door anyway.

Kiddos have another room with bunk beds. If this turns out to be a long-term situation then DH and I will turn the garage apartment into our 'master suite' and DD and her kiddos can take-over all the bedrooms in the house. Garage apartment is attached to the house so it's only a matter of climbing a different set of stairs to go to bed. But.....that is a bit of a long shot and may never happen.

Kind of a lull in goat activity for now and it's alright by me. The rut is coming and soon enough I'll need to decide if I have any breeding plans for the goats this year. Bad part of that is sometimes the goats make their OWN plans, lol. I'm thinking of only breeding about six at most. I still have some to sell from this year's kiddings.

I'll be moving some of the critters around this weekend. Some of the kids that have been up front in pens to be weaned are about to be kicked out to the pasture. Hopefully their moms know they're weaned and won't let them back at the dinner table.

I'm milking 4 goats - once a day. A while back it was 6 and that was too much. Four gives plenty of milk for us (and the kiddos aren't big milk drinkers). We still have enough for the pigs to get their milk-soaked corn, the dogs get a milk treat over their food and I make cheese whenever we want it. In fact, I've got a batch in there right now that needs to be hung up to drain. Might leave this batch plain. Maybe. Or, do the garlic rosemary flavorings again. It is the BEST crumbled into a salad. Now - while the kiddos aren't big milk drinkers - they love, love, love goat cheese. Go figger... We even made a batch while they were here last week and they were just enthralled with the process - especially when they saw how simple it really is.

I've got a brisket on the smoker that I'll be taking to dad's this weekend. His 88th birthday is Sunday. Last time I was there he mentioned that he wanted some barbque to eat and some to put in the freezer - so I bought a big ol' brisket and that'll be his birthday dinner and the rest of it will be his birthday present, lol. It's a huge brisket so it'll last them for quite a while.

Better get to it...lots on the list today.

Happy Friday ya'll!

 

[Mini Horses]

Glad you are happily welcoming the DD & Grands. I went thru same about 10 yrs ago -- DD & only GrDD. Upstairs of house became their 2 bdrm, bath & lvgrm aptmt. Had a little kitchenette type thing in an alcove -- refer, MW. But kitchen & laundry were just at bottom of stairs. That lasted almost 4 yrs! Mom moved in & I was going to use my then empty garage apt (since I was giving mom my bedroom/bath master suite downstairs) but, they moved into trailer at back end of farm. Still there almost 7 yrs later. Son had been there in trailer with wife 7 yr prior. He just got out of garage a month ago, after 1 yr of "relocating".

I tell you, it never ends. MAYBE that is the real reason so many are pushing for the "tiny homes" movement......no room for long term returns.

I love 'em but, geesh.........

My mature buck is just peeing all over himself!! NOT time to do that, he didn't read the calendar. Now I am spending my day off to rework his pen to keep him contained for a while, since he showed up on my front porch this AM. I'm taking 6 of this years buck kids to an auction 8.20. Do not really care $$$ they bring (they are nice, healthy, shiny, etc!--4 are purebred Nubian and mini Nubian, 2 are Snubian @3/4 Nub). I just want them gone and the $$ I will save on feed & fence will be great. The does are not nearly as bad on the fence!

NOW -- if my son doesn't get my mower & tractor back within the
next hr, he will lose his borrowing privileges.

 

[baymule]

Does anybody slaughter their extra bucks? In my thinking, slaughtering an animal I raised, just makes sense rather than selling it for less money than I have in it. You raised it, fed it, you know how it was treated, why not put some goat burger in the freezer?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I haven't slaughtered a buck...but we have slaughtered a goat wether and a female dorper lamb. They were both soooo good! I don't butcher a lot of goats because I usually just sell them before I get a lot of money into them. However, I have a doe that I'm thinking about doing. She's a good doe, but I don't need her. I hesitate to sell her because she has such a horrible udder. In fact, she's one of the does I'm milking now. But, she's a little bit (a LOT) moody and because her udder is so bad you have to milk her down before her babies can even learn to nurse those big ol' things. If you weren't there when she births her babies you'd lose them. So, long story short - I hate to sell an animal that might be hard for someone else to handle. I'd rather eat them myself than to sell them to someone who might not know how to deal with them.

 

[Mini Horses]

Yep, makes sense to slaughter own as you at least know how they were fed, treated, etc. I had 8 bucklings this yr, keeping one, selling 6....leaves one for butcher, along with a pig, end of month. But, goats & cattle -- dairy & meat types. If I really wanted meat I would go with Boer, etc. One of these guys is a little chunky.

Could always make dog food -- now that's expensive if you use the real good ones. Like extra goat milk & eggs used for feeding other animals SS for all.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Getting into high gear with the upcoming move-in by DD. I cleaned my closet. It's been years since I've done a proper closet clean out. I have no less than 5 giant trash bags full of clothes that are going to the DAV (disabled American veterans resale shop). DH has at least 3. I've been weighing the bags - I know I'm weird, lol! But, so far I'm up to nearly 100 lbs of clothes that I hope others can use. Some of them have never been worn and still have the tags to prove it. Never thought of myself as a "hoarder" before, lol! OMG - at least I'm not worthy of the "hoarder" tv program! Long way to go before I'd get there. DH has moved a lot of his stuff back into 'our' closet and there's STILL leftover room.

I've been medicating a goat for a couple days now. She's had on and off again diarrhea for awhile now - and I'm tired of it. I had a fecal run and it was clean so I've got her on penicillin and some anti-diarrheal meds in her water. She cleared up after the first day, but I'm going to continue for at least 5 days...maybe 7. I need to sell her, but I won't unless I know she's 100%. I won't sell a problem to someone else. Might be time to learn how a nice young (cabrito!) doe tastes. Even though the grands are keen on butchering...they've seen the process on quail and chickens...I'm not sure they'd be so happy to see Angel actually live up to her name.

I am going to start gathering seeds for a fall garden. I think I'll start some broccoli seeds in a week or so. I would like to wait until the kiddos get here and let them in on the fun! I've got some large tubs that I've been doing some gardening in but I think it's time to replenish the soil in them. If it ever cools down I'll go out to the barn and scrape up some good stuff to put in the tubs. Might wait on the kiddos for that 'fun' too! Whoo-weeee - they're about to learn alllll the fun stuff about living on a farm!

Bucks are getting a little stinkier every day. Rut is definitely coming... ugh! I will need to re-arrange a pen the boys are in in hopes of keeping them IN! At least in the pen I'm going to move them to they'd have to get through several fences to end up with the girls.

Almost 8 - better get to work. Happy Tuesday ya'll.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Well, every new day brings a new change. DD and the grands won't be moving in after all. Geeze louise - I was sooo looking forward to having them here and not needing to worry about them any more. But not to be. Lawyers suggest a move is not a good idea during divorce and custody issues.... grrrrrr! I want this mess over with and I know DD and the kiddos want to land in their permanent spot. There's good and bad in all of it and at least this way the kiddo don't have to change schools and I still get to walk around the house in my underwear! LOL - not a pretty sight, but it sure is comfortable!

Had to get up and get going this morning to get ready for this "major rain event" that's headed our way. I reinforced the tarps over the new round bales. Also moved some bucks around - more for the rut than the rain, but it works either way.

Took a close look at some of the does and decided I needed to check eyelids.... couple of them were mighty pale so they got a dose of cydectin. They didn't like it - but whatcha gonna do? Has to be done.

I bought a LOT of feed yesterday so that after the "major rain event" I don't have to haul feed in the mud. However, since I'm keeping the feed in my trailer these days - and since the trailer is short because it was for mini animals - I have to be almost bent over when I raise those feed bags up to pour them in the can. It was a back disaster waiting to happen and it finally did. I unloaded 19 bags and wouldn't ya know that the last one was the one that 'got' me. I'm really sore right now but trying my best to keep it from getting any worse. Keep moving, take anti-inflammatories, and might have to turn up the temp on the hot tub. I'm running it cold right now and it's really refreshing - but I'm thinking a soak in a warm tub with a couple jets aimed on that muscle would be a good idea. Maybe throw in a glass of wine for some extra "muscle relaxing" and I'm sure I'll be good as new.

 

[Mini Horses]

hey, at least you got your closets cleaned out!!!
Like me, you probably would have waited more years.

Ahhhhh...sorry about the back. Hot tub & wine sound good. Just add a little personal massage from DH & things will be better than you imagined. Yep, those mini trailers are cute but my 2 are also back challenging -- head knots are also an issue. Hurts!

 

[baymule]

You need some Arni-Care. It's a rub made from Arnica Montana. It is an herbal pain reliever-I love that stuff! It works in minutes.