Prepping for the Winter Weather

As ice and snow flurries storm the east coast, I sit inside where it is warm, and enjoy winter soup and family... 

Thankfully, we prepared for the storm by stocking up on food items, kerosene for the portable heater, gas for the generator, and wrapping faucets, hoses, and lines....

Animal water troughs were filled, heat lamps were activated, and vitamins were distributed. All animals were given extra food and bedding. 

Hoping all people and animals alike are as safe and comfortable as we are. Provided temporary shelter for a "stray" dog today (and food/water) because of the freezing temperatures.... 

Novel

At approximately 42,000 words on my novel so far........ Need about 15-20k more before I submit it. THIS is shaping up to be one hell of a book. It is thrilling, pegs the "creepy" factor times 100, and is a  fascinating tale about survival........... Super exciting writing the book but thinking about the possibilities for it:). Just have to get it published, lol:).

Dealing with Ebola or any Mass Outbreak

Suggestions.... I highly recommend people prepare for emergencies (Ebola, etc...) BEFORE a mass outbreak actually occurs. One MAJOR thing people can do to help themselves BEFORE such an outbreak occurs is to purchase the best grade face mask they can afford. If you can only afford the cheap paper masks, something is always better than nothing. An example of a fairly affordable mask is http://www.discountsafetygear.com/3m60sefufare.html. I am NOT a physician and am not recommending THIS product or website. I am simply giving examples of things available. It would be advisable to purchase the replacement cartridges and filters when you buy these masks. If you wait until an outbreak actually occurs, TRUST ME..... You will have a hell of a difficult time finding one. Don't wait...... Be prepared. 

Busy, Busy, Busy Summer:).

I haven't been very active on here in a couple of months and really miss it:)... I like writing and sharing life. Summer around the farm keeps everyone busy. From re-seeding pastures, to clearing woods, to painting houses, barns, and other outbuildings, to organic pest control when you can go the organic route...... One of my major "tasks" for the past few months has been combating fire ants. Although I have tried using organic methods to combat these pets, I have been unsuccessful. The only thing that seems to work is chemical eradication, which normally, having other farm animals, I wouldn't go for, but these pesky insects make everyone and everything cringe. In ground bees have been more pesky than usual this year. I do, use an "organic" method for killing those bad-boys, however.... Horses and in ground bees DO NOT mash. But.... Neither do humans and in ground bees. Believe it or not, I have spent at least 2 days a week for the past couple of months fighting those pests... I don't bother bumble bees or honey bees, but HATE, HATE, HATE wasps and yellow jackets with a PASSION! So, of course, farm duties coupled with "general life," makes for a super busy but fulfilling schedule. But..... Not lost, are the days of enjoying "CHICKEN TV," (watching the colorful and very active chickens, guineas, and ducks play), and our goat herd (that includes 2 sheep and a barn cat). The barn cat loves HER HERD, and goes everywhere they go. She is their shadow. Gotta love barn kitty! I will be more active on this blog from now on:). Can't promise HOW active, but certainly MORE active!!! 

First Garden Ripe Watermelon

Our very first garden ripe watermelon...... Super sweet!

Quack Quacks

Our babies playing in their outside yard until they are old enough to free range.

Bummer

We lost one of our Indian Runner Ducks to a damn black snake today...... Super bummed. Our beautiful Indian Runner Duck was about 2-3 months old now, and was developing beautiful color and feathers. She was the largest of the 2 indian runners, and tried protecting the other ducks/guineas/chickens from the snake. She lost her life. The other sad part is that I had to kill the snake. I don't like to kill non-poisonous snakes, but this snake would have kept coming back for food if I would have simple tossed it out in the woods. Was about a 6 ft long black snake. Double bummer!!!!!!!

Hobby Farms Magazine

Submitting a picture of your farm critters is a wonderful way to show off your livestock and to enjoy other peoples critters too.......... Simply submit an instagram pic and tag #hflivestock......... www.hobbyfarms.com. I pasted the picture of my goats on the hobby farm cover. They won instagram pic of the month for July/August. Fun:)...........

New Chicks/Ducks/Guineas

This is one of the most healthy bunch of chicks I've ever received. They are almost 2 weeks old now and we have lost NONE. I generally expect to lose a few, but not with this batch. I will be using Ideal Poultry in the future for sure! www.IdealPoultry.com

Pickels

First batch of pickels made from our garden cucumbers:).

Workin', Playin', and Restin'

Pooper-scooper"ing" the pastures:). Oh joy!

Taking a needed cat nap on a hay bale.

Getting a height advantage so I can scope out guinea eggs.

Beautiful butts:).

The best invention ever. Game cam.

Giving back when we can.....

Hori-Hori. The best gardening tool EVER.

napping again.

Baby Chickens and Ducks

All of the new baby chicks and ducks made it through the night:). Wooooooo hoooooo!!!! 2 Indian Runner ducks, 10 assorted pullets, 2 guineas, 10 assorted banties, 1 buff orpington rooster. Happy days!!

Breakfast Bake

Nummy Nummy breakfast bake with farm fresh guinea eggs, tomatos out of the garden, spinach out of the garden, procuitto, tillamook aged white cheddar cheese, and cilantro topped with black pepper and sea salt:).

Our Lives Would Never be the Same

Our lives would never be the same.......... We began our journey from the southern coast of Oregon to the southeastern US. ALL of our animals made the trip with us. I looked into animal transport companies, but NONE of the companies GUARANTEED all animals would be delivered alive. I knew my animals and their needs and personalities best, so my husband and I invested in a custom built stock/horse trailer so ALL of our animals (horses, pigs, goats, sheep, dogs, barn cat) could make the cross country trip as safely and comfortably as possible. ALL of our animals have names; they are all pets and are dear family members, actually. When an animal crosses onto our property, it gets a collar, a name, and a safe place to live out the rest of it's life.

We weren't sure we would be able to afford to bring everyone. We actually contemplated NOT making the move because we didn't want to leave anyone behind. I promise each of my animals I will take care of it (he/she) to the best of my ability for the rest of my life. My burly looking, but tender hearted husband actually shares the same sentiment:). We spent an exorbitant amout of money getting health certificates for ALL of our animals so we could cross the US legally. Wooooooooooooh! That final bill from the vet almost sent us into a tail-spin. Uggggg..... The vets spent a day and a half chasing and capturing my 2 rescue pigs so they could be vaccinated, ear tagged, and get their blood work done. Half of the many thousand dollar vet bill was spent on 2 pigs I basically rescued....... I knew if I left them, noone else would care to spend the time and money dealing with them, and they would end up in someone's freezer. NOT HAPPENING to any of MY babies!!!

We started our trip leaving Oregon in late September, 2013. I love the Pacific North West, I LOVE THE PEOPLE and we have great friends there...... I just couldn't hack the "over" 120 inches of rain we were getting each year. The ground never seemed to dry out and I was dealing with mud-on-top-of-mud with all of the animals we have. The weather was wearing on my soul, and I longed for change and a better environment for my animals where we could get out of the mud. The trip out with the animals took almost 2 weeks. We had to find "horse hotels" and/or fairgrounds where the horses, goats, and sheep could stretch out and rest each night. The poor pigs were confined to my tack room for the entire trip because if I unloaded them, there was no way I would be able to "re-load" them again (they aren't small). My tackroom was TRASHED, to put it nicely:).

I loaded all of the animals up with electrolites each day because I knew they would not consume the amount of water to keep them properly hydrated and I didn't want any serious illnesses or deaths. THANKFULLY, everyone made it and we didn't experience any sickness or lameness issues. To put it mildly, the trip across country was HELL, and I would never want to do anything like it again, but I am glad I did. We travelled with 4 horses (all atleast 1/2 draft horse, and 1 full draft who doesn't tie), 10 goats, 2 sheep, 2 pigs, 1 barn cat, and 7 dogs. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

So..... That's where our journey begins on our small homestead. We decided to cut expenses, and buy a "tiny" home. We realize what is important to US is our "family," which includes all of our animals. All of the excess "stuff," can be nice, but it comes and goes. "Family" is always there:). Our "family" even includes one expensive dairy goat I will never "rebreed" because her last kidding session almost killed her. Another includes a show quality sheep I will never rebreed because her last birthing almost killed her....... I reiterate that our animals are pets. We DO use some goats for milk and cheese, but only to the extent that they seem comfortable and healthy:). Is our hobby expensive? HECK YES! But, Hey....... What hobby isn't? It makes us happy, so that's how we focus our lives!!!