FarmerDenise's journal - full on harvest time = busy, busy, busy

[TanksHill]

I wish that rain would come down south to me. We have had the low fog and cool mornings. So I have a bit of "fog feet" touching my garden. Not enough to water it but enough to keep things damp. Yesterday it seemed cold enough for a fire here but in the spring and summer I rearrange my furniture, which I already did. Now my fire place is kinda blocked with a sofa. No fire for me.

I think our rain is done for the year. Unless some freak storm comes down and hits the Pineapple express off of Hawaii. Which I doubt.

Wouldn't a couple of goats clear that field up nice for you?

When you soaked your kefir did yo use a full quart of milk? I have been kinda being stingy and only filling the jar about half full. My dog would not drink it and the first batch was so thin I really did not think about the hens. I just peeked in on it and it looks solid again. So when do you think we can drink it? I am hoping that the batch after today is good.

Have a great day.

gina

 

[Dace]

Yum, your soup sounds delish! I made soup last night too
Chicken tortilla, it was great!

I wonder if your rain is coming down here...we have been gloomy as Tanks mentioned. We have had a wetter and cooler than usual spring.

I wish I could get a couple chicks for our little broody....but with a move eminent, that would just be foolish :/

Hugs, hope you weather warms up....I know how you love sitting in the sun admiring your chickerdos!

 

[FarmerDenise]

I wanted to post my favorite Minestrone soup recipe. It is from MEN October/November 2007 issue. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-10-01/Warming-Winter-Soups.aspx?page=3
I don't usually add any pasta.

It is nice and sunny today. SO said he arranged it for my birthday. Everything looks nice and clean after the rain and is very bright.

Tanks, our goats are still kinda little, so they aren't going to be able to chomp that field down in time to plant crops
We are planning to leave some of it standing for the goats. We'll fence it off once the rest of the field is disced.

I just started soaking my kefir grains and the milk just smelled a little off. I had put them in about 2 cups of milk. It still had the consistency of milk. I had offered it to Susie (our naked chicken) who was in the house and she drank lots of it. So then I figured I would put the rest of it outside and let the dog and chickens fight over it. The bowl was licked clean! I'll do it again today, but I didn't put it in as much milk, because I am buyin 5 gallons of milk at a time as it is. The goats drink more than 1.2 gallon a day, I make yogurt, now the kefir and I want to try making mozzarella. Our milk budget has gotten out of hand.
And FIL thinks us getting goats is stupid and a waste :/ But then I am sure he thinks we should both be working at a grocery store or something....

I am off to clean out the henhouse...

 

[FarmerDenise]

I froze the left over soup. I know it'll be nice to have some evening, when we are too tired to cook.

My energy is slowly coming back, but I have to watch out that I don't overdo it. I have found that after days that I feel good and work all day, I end up feeling really poorly for 2 days and not able to do anything.

So I work until about 2 or 3pm and then take it easy. Mostly this allows for doing regular household chores and taking care of the animals. I am happy if I can get a little extra done each day.

I really need to get the electric goat netting set up. Those little cuties are getting way too good at escaping. I layed the fencing out yesterday afternoon to see where it would go. It is longer than we need to go across the property, so I have to figure out just where we want it to be.
I also contacted an old friend to find out if she is still using the large igloo we gave her many years ago. I think it would make a great goat shelter.

Today's to do list:

Feed goats am bottle CHECK
Let chickens out CHECK
Change waters CHECK
Fill feeders
Do dishes CHECK
Feed Spike (our dog) CHECK
Clean kitchen counter CHECK
Take dead chick to store for refund
Buy milk (mostly for goats)
Thaw chicken for dinner CHECK
Work on goat fence
Feed chickens eggs and leftover polenta CHECK
Make yogurt
Clean bathroom
Vaccuum
Freeze remaining polenta
Soak woolens
Change and wash bedding
Pay bills

At least that is what I put on today's list. I usually end up doing lots of other stuff too. But having a list helps me stay on top of things, and prevents me from forgetting something important. Now I better get going on that list


ETA check off things completed

 

[dragonlaurel]

Hope you had a happy birthday. Hope you are feeling better fast.
Take it easy as much as you can today. Sometimes people that spend their lives taking care of every body else - human and critters- forget to go easy on themselves.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I sure fit that description

On the other hand those critters get me out of bed and out of the house, when I don't feel like doing anything and that can be a very good thing sometimes.

Our homeless friend was sitting outside the backdoor when we got up this morning. We figure he needed a safe place to be for a while. SO gave him money for beer, which he obvioulsy needed, because he had the shakes. I made enough scrambled eggs for us, the critters and our friend. When he left here several hours later, he looked much better. I gave him some hardboiled eggs to take along, so he'd have something to eat later. He is very polite, so we don't mind helping him out once in a while.

I am tired now and am going to take it easy for a while. I'll just go out and get milk for the goats, so I won't have to worry about that anymore today. Maybe I'll sit with the rabbit and read, when I get back from the store.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

Maybe I'll sit with the rabbit and read,

hee hee hee i love that you said this - what a fun picture!!


left over polenta? really?

i love it fried the next morning in a hash. i made it with bacon and kale fresh from the garden...with an egg of course.

great job getting all of that done!

 

[FarmerDenise]

SO only likes polenta when it is fresh. FIL brings over big cans of it for us, whenever the family attends a Polenta feed. Uncle R usually cooks them up for fund raisers. I have tried it fried up, but I haven't got SO to try it. I like it well enough, but I can live without it. We are the black sheep of the family, so we don't get invited to these events, heehee We don't miss it at all

After going to the farm store to see if I could return the dead chick (no), buying a new collar for my kitty and going to the grocery store to buy milk for the goats and peanuts for SO and me, I laid down on the couch and opened my book. A romance novel. I get them by the bag from MIL, who gets them from aunt N, who gets them from the senior center. I take them to the library book sale or the homeless shelter, or leave them in the front of the house with a free sign.
I am relaxing, SO has the indie races on and is sleeping in the easy chair. Or so I think. All of a sudden he says: "there is a very large pitbull in neighbor's yard. Oh oh, he is coming in our yard" like I am supposed to do something. So I jump up, grab a leash as SO had me kitty treats and I run out in my almost bare (socks only) feet. I look around the front yard and finally spot the beast. I go: "here sweetie, want a treat" he runs up to me and gingerly takes the small treat from my hand. I clip the leash onto his spike collar and take him to the back of the house. SO wants to know what I'm going to do with it. He suggests I walk down the street to find the owner. I walk down a couple of blocks and think about this. I realize I am way to tired to go walking around with thsi dog and how in the he double toothpicks amd I going to find the owner this way. I go back home and tell SO to bring me a long rope or something to tie the dog to the big back gate. SO has me take the dog to the end of the driveway, ties the long leash to the gate and only after he has managed to get to safe ground next to the back door, am I allowed to bring the big pitbull to the back gate and attach him to the long leash. I bring this mean, largeand vicious dog a bowl of water and a bunch of dog biscuits. He eagerly drinks and takes the treat gently from my hand.
The dog is now reasonably safe, can be seen from the road, if someone is looking for him and does not have easy access to our critters.
I sit back on the couch to read. The dog whines, yips and howls. I check on it. It wags its tail, when it sees me, I tell him to be quiet.
I figure, if someone doesn't come for him soon, I'll call the pound. They are CLOSED on the weekend. I would be leaving a message that no one would hear til tomorrow sometime. This dog had long ears and an intact tail. He was also otherwise intact!!!. People in our neighborhood don't usually make much money and this dog was friendly and looked well cared for. I didn't want animal control involved, if I could help it. Pitbulls have a bad rap and I didn't want this dog or the owner to get in trouble.
About an hour later, we hear someone calling. We go out and it's our neighbor who lives in the vacant lot. It was his dog. Everyone was happy, especially the dog. I told him to take the leash for now and return it later. I love happy endings.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

it was a happy ending! just like one of the books - after the break up Mr. Woofywoof runs off and finds a kindly stranger to snuggle with, then regrets running off...and love is reunited. sigh. golly you should write that as a bodice-ripper and make millions!

whoot!

great job getting the dog back to its owner.

 

[TanksHill]

A bodice -ripper!! That's funny.