better than take-out

Never would have thought the best sweet and sour chicken would be baked in the oven. The chicken pieces get extra tender, while the sauce slightly carmelizes on each piece in the oven before being tossed with the veggies. Yum!

it's time

It has been sinking in a little more every day that kidding time is near. Only six weeks left until my goats start having kids. It is very exciting! With a goats ability to have more than one kid at a time, it is very easy to double the size of my herd in a months time. I am anxious to see how many kids each doe is going to have, how many girls I'll get, what colors they will each be.

There is always room for improvement in a herd and in its management. There are a few things I would like to try this year. About four weeks prior to kidding, each doe should get a CD&T vaccination to help immunity transfer to the kids. Also the kids need their CD&T around four weeks of age, then boostered in six weeks.

Knowing I have does that are positive for CAE makes kidding time a little more difficult. I do not want it to be transferred to the kids, so that adds extra work. Knowing which does are negative and which are positive is a big help. Hopefully we will get the girls tested before they kid.

Can't wait for baby goaties!

un-see-able

The best cookies in the world are baked in my kitchen. They only consist of three ingredients. My butter being one of them. My husband made them. And I am going to eat them. Fair trade. I make him yogurt and granola bars, he makes me shortbread cookies. I think I get the better end of the deal.

end of a day

It is almost the end of a day. The livestock are milked and fed. The kids are fed and finishing their milk. Our pizza is baking in the oven. Muffins and granola bars are ready for tomorrow. I am ready for the couch!

fickle light

cooking dinner by iPhone light

I remembered today!

I remembered how to make butter! Not that hard. First butter of the year. Very good! I do not eat butter by itself. I ate this butter by itself.

My favorite way to get all the buttermilk out is to kneed the butter by hand under cold running water. The cold water keeps the temp of my hands low enough the butter doesn't melt, and it also rinses away the buttermilk that is brought out by my kneading.

Sunday (I can't always remember!)

The thing about being late is it gives me more time to come up with:
reasons
excuses
ideas
money
photos

In this case, Monday's lunch is Sunday's belated topic. The bread was made from scratch on Sunday. The eggs were laid by our chickens sometime in the last two weeks. The bacon was from pigs we raised last summer.

It is a wonderful feeling to look at my lunch and know where everything came from. If that were from McDonalds, who knows how far each ingredient traveled, or where they even originated. Hopefully next time the bread will be buttered with homemade butter and there will be slices of homemade cheese melting under the eggs. Yumm!

Saturday (a little late)

My hands became tired.
The machine became my friend.
I forgot to blog.
Better late than never.
Better not be late milking.

tire

A tractor tire is big. Much bigger than a car tire. I'm sure it has a big price tag also. Not looking forward to having to buy one. Trashed tractor tires do make cute planters, especially when painted pastel colors. Just kidding about the paint. I wouldn't mind using a few to grow some herbs in. Maybe a tire could keep the chives and sage in check. They love to take over my small herb garden. Put that on my to-do list for the spring.

my new cow

I hereby claim this cow as mine! Everyone loves Bluebell because she is so big and beautiful. Pipsy gets ignored because she is smaller and homelier. She needs me to love her. I think I need to love her too.

hands

The hands I love. The hands that love me.

i am hungry for

pizza baked on the stone

my cow

she was the best
there will never be another
to take her place

she made me quick
at dodging flying hooves
while continuing to milk

she showed me it's easier
to milk a kicking cow than
graft on a strangers calf

she proved that all it takes
is a little love
to tame the beast

once something is done
it can not be undone
no matter what we wish

freezer

Jersey bull calves do not sell well at the auction, especially as small as this one. The neighbors gave him to us, to raise for beef.

I feel guilty seeing his adorable face knowing in two years he will be in our freezer. Then I think about what his life would have been like if he had gone to the sale. We will love him and pamper him. He will eat green grass all summer, frolicking in the fields with the other cows. He will never see a crowded feedlot or get unnatural feed shoved down his throat. He will not be injected with growth hormones.

But someday I want to keep just one as a pet. Even if it has to be trained as a draft oxen.

never enough

There is no such thing. It does not exist. Not possible. No! One can never have enough goats. There is always room for one more.

Had the problem where four of our young goats are old enough to be bred, but not quite big enough. They are just 8 pounds under the cut off. The solution? Buy a smaller breed buck. The kids will be smaller so kidding will be easier on my little girls.

That is where Mr. Brown comes in. I knew there were people in Kennedy that had Nigerian Dwarf goats. Looked them up on the ADGA website and gave them a call. They had five to choose from, yet picking was simple. He is adorable! Looking forward to airplane-eared kids in early summer!

Thank you Casey!

It's free!!!

Water pipes and hose are free of ice! No words could properly express how happy that makes me!

jealousy

Wanted to see how much milk the cow is producing this morning. Not very much. Just over a gallon and a half in the AM. It is enough though.

The calf we grafted onto the cow is tied in front of the cows. As I fed Strawberry her bottle, Dutchie was frantic to get to the bottle. She strained to get as close as she could then tried to bridge the gap with her tongue. I swear her tongue is a mile long!

Once the calf finished the bottle, I let Dutchie suck on it for old times sake. She was happy but not satisfied. Made me laugh though!

brighter days

I miss summer. Spring and fall too. The green grass, blue skies, and SUNSHINE! Winter is so dark around here. One grey day following the other. My mind finds its way back to the better days where there is no risk of freezing, whether it be water or toes.

Today Dot, Florence, and Blue Bird got to grow up. I am hoping it is not too late in the season for Gunner to breed them. These are his first does, being just a teenager himself. Kids born in June would be a first for me. Usually they are all on the ground by the end of March, mid-April at the latest. That may mean having goat milk into the winter. That is a cheerful thought!

barn-less evening

On a cooking spree. Oh the joy of staying in the oven-warmed kitchen while goodies bake! Smells delicious unlike cow poo. Breakfast tomorrow morning is assured, unless we eat it all tonight.

goats

I love how they bury their heads down in the hay to get their favorite pieces. After a frigid day, and the anger over frozen water in the barn, it is a relief to sit and relax watching my goats. There are times I would love to clobber them, when they act like brainless idiots. But, there is something about watching them eat that soothes me. Wish I could keep one in the house.

command central

Technology is a fun thing. I am sitting at my command post, yet posting on my phone. Who woulda thunk??

Today was a winter day. Depressing. Snow covering my world. Cold inside and out. The only bright side of today- it was not as cold as tomorrow will be.

The goats are getting wide. Patsy is the widest. Curious how many kids are in there. Knowing she kidded too early last year for her previous owner makes me nervous. Hope all goes well.

the first

It is always hard to start something, but even harder to finish.

I hate boots. Winter. Mud. Manure. I would rather wear shoes through it all. They make my feet sweat and stink. My mobility is hampered by their only slight flexibility. Maybe someday I will break down and accept them. But probably not.