Bitter Cold Doesn't Mean No Work

Friday, February 21

This past week we have seen some bitter cold temperatures here on the homestead.  As you know a cold front moved across the country.  Our location was on the southern border of the cold front, and while we didn't get the projected three to eight inches of snow, we did get an inch or so.  The wind was horrible and the snow drifts were pretty cool as they swirled around the goat domes creating a circular bank a foot and a half away from the dome's exterior wall. I am glad we didn't get too much snow.

Around here, these freak storms come, but usually the temps warm up soon after, melting almost everything within a day or two.  This week, we ended up with temperatures staying below freezing for a few days before we started seeing days in the low 30s, but lows in the teens. Wednesday morning, our low got down to 3 with wind-chill below zero. Those sort of temps make me thankful for my insulated farm coveralls and a heated milking parlor. 

Happy to say, all the animals stayed warm and everyone was glad to see the sun and warmth return today: if you consider 35 to 40 warm enough to come out and play! 

This is the time of year that homestead "seasonal" chores start piling up and prioritizing becomes difficult.  But difficult doesn't mean impossible, and knowing my limits is important in order to know how to avoid the attitude that sees tasks as impossible. 

Obviously, this is the time for starting seeds.  Do I have to?  No, but I found it helps at planting time to have that 6 week head start.  I don't have anything fancy.  Just a shelf in the milk room with LED lights over head.  Since the room has a heater, it stays about 60 degrees.  Other than direct sow seeds, everything else but leeks have been started.  Today, I started some more greens and some onions (even though I ordered onion plants/sets).  The cabbage is coming up, as is the spinach, and a few herbs.  

I am also working on herd maintenance as I get hooves trimmed, famacha scores down (shows signs of anemia), copper boluses, and treating them for parasites if they need it.  So far only one goat, my oldest girl Mocha, is at a level that could be an issue. Then again, I haven't even worked my way through half the herd yet.  

Wide load Jersey!

More goats are nearing kidding time, with Stratton Creek Sally due the 20th of March.  I have started bringing her to the milk stand for a bit of grain each morning, as well as to get my hands on her udder.  She will be a first time momma, but she is doing pretty well already. Soon after she kids, Jersey and Maizie are due.  Then at the end of the month of March, Serenade is due.  Finally, in the middle of April, the last two, Bit O' Honey and Juniper, will kid. 

Sugar Plum and Sugar Cookie

I have been milking our newest addition, Sugar Plum, every morning.  She has done a really good job adjusting.  She hadn't been milked for a while, so her milk production did drop from what the seller was getting.  Then a week ago, I ran out of one brand of goat pellets and started using an organic feed, only to find out she would NOT eat it.  So, she dropped about a cup in production until I was able to get a different brand. Then the cold temps hit and she started using extra energy to keep warm, rather than make milk.  However, she has not dropped below one pint, and I am happy to have several jars in the refrigerator. I definitely look forward to more milk in a little over a month!

We have 25 chicks due to arrive in just a few weeks, and I need to get the basement garage cleaned up and prepped for them since that is the only place I have to put them in a brooder.  We decided to go with Buff Orpingtons, which I probably said already in a previous post.  However, we decided that with the stupidity that has come about because of the bird flu. We will keep all the adult birds we have on the homestead in order to have some eggs coming in. 

my tour guides

We have yet to process our turkeys, but perhaps two of them will be processed this upcoming month as I work toward getting them into their own area in order to keep them out of my berry patch.  My plan is to put them in the old sheep dry lot.  It would give them PLENTY of space. 

This Sunday, I will need to get out and prune my fruit trees since spring is around the corner and it should be done during dormancy (although, some say it doesn't matter when it is done.)  I also need to get the black berry patch trellis taken down and put up properly since last year it wasn't done well.  And...I need a raspberry trellis put up for the few I have.  

compost pile

Al was able to turn the compost a few weeks back and it looks like there will be plenty for filling raised beds and buckets.  I still need to assemble four more beds that I purchased several months ago.  My only concern is what to put into my four grow towers.  They require loose and absorbent soil with plenty of nutrition. 

The garden lay out has been planned and it is just a matter of getting the buckets and rings into place, raised beds built and filled, and trellises put in place for beans, cucumbers, and a few other things.

We picked up the meat from two sheep and a goat earlier this week. I had asked the butcher if he could please take a look at the goat to see if anything was wrong with her female parts.  He said he would and we found out she was a hermaphrodite.  So three years of two people, the seller and me, trying to get her bred, and we finally know she could not get pregnant. Our choice to use her for another purpose sits so much better knowing. (Not that it didn't sit right to process her, but knowing she couldn't do what she was bought for makes it easier.) At any rate, Al thinks there was probably 70 pounds of meat altogether from the sheep and the goat. This came to approximately $3 per pound for grass-fed lamb and goat. 

Sunday, February 23

Today has been a busy day, as Sundays usually are for us.  The weather is unseasonably warm and we are relishing in it. 

My milk room white board

After morning chores, I went out with Caleb and we did maintenance on the remaining does. A few goats were at a "keep watch" level for anemia, and i will be treating them for parasites. Only one of my does, Juniper, was very anemic and I immediately treated her with both Cydectin and Safeguard.  She got iron and B complex vitamins, and a copper bolus.  I hope I caught it in time.  She is pregnant and due on April 12th. Now I have the four bucks to tend to, and we will be done for about two months. 

I was able to plant some leek and flower seeds in a tray today.  Oh, and yesterday I noticed a mouse had dug up several of my kale and greens seeds I had just planted.  So I moved the tray to a different location to keep the mice away.  So far they haven't returned. My lettuce seeds have germinated and most have emerged.  If the Bronze beauty do not germinate, I will plant another type instead. 

apple tree

pear tree

I was able to go out and get all my fruit trees pruned, including my giant pear tree and the big apple.  After studying the trees a bit, I decided to remove a huge chunk from the apple.  So Al came in and used a chainsaw to cut portions off.  Caleb climbed the tree for me and helped pull down the tall suckers so they could be dead headed to promote lateral growth.  Both the pear and apple trees were on the property when we moved here.  The pear is a Bartlett and the apple is red delicious from what the previous owner said.  I also have three apple trees that are about three years old, three peach trees about four years old, and two plum trees the same age.  I am very happy with how they look and prayed a little prayer that these trees are able to bear some fruit without disease.  If not, we have next year. 

The next task is to tackle the blackberry patch.  I hope to get it done this week some time.  I also hope to get a trellis up for the raspberries. I also want to remove the trellises from last year's garden and put them off to the side while beds go in and clean up is done. 

And that about wraps it up for this blog post.  I hope you all are well.  

New Year, New Month, New Hopes

It's been a month and here I am sitting by the wood stove staying warm after a ten degree low temp this morning, and a high in the mid 20s.  Being winter, there isn't much change in the day to day events, but the dreams of spring become more frequent when the weather gets so cold your fingers freeze after only 5 minutes of chores: with insulated gloves on.

I finally got those rogue chickens caught and put in a cage.  It is pretty redneck with three colored tarps, but I am sure they appreciate the wind break and a slightly warmer temp than outside. 

Our sheep processing day was postponed and will now be on the 31st.  In addition to the sheep, it was decided that our goat who has not been able to get pregnant for over two years, will be processed as well.  Nine times out of ten, these cases can not be changed, and it is time to cut our losses and move on.  

I was able to sell my two bottle babies to a lovely family an hour away, and I know they will do well there.  S'mores has been renamed, Lilli, and Kiwi was renamed Luna.  Beautiful names, for such beautiful little doelings.  

With our does being first fresheners, it was decided the milk we were getting just wasn't worth milking.  It was a huge disappointment for me since I look forward to that fresh milk each time.  Meanwhile, I was left with a lot of grain and alfalfa that had to go somewhere, so all the goats were partaking.  And when you give a goat some grain; they'll want it every single day. It gets pretty loud out there in the morning.  

It's hard to believe that most of those goat kids are six weeks old already.  Two more weeks and Prince Doodlebug will be castrated, unless I can find a new home for him.  

We have been making plans to take a trip out to Tennessee for our Passover celebration in April.  With our second tithes, we have been able to set aside enough to stay a few days.  However, we should be able to set aside enough between now and then to set aside enough for the whole week of Sukkot come fall.  These plans got me to thinking about making some better choices around the homestead regarding when animals are bred and when they kid.  

So, after doing calculations on my handy-dandy gestation calendar, it was determined that we need to breed goats after May 27 in order to have kids after sukkot.  And we need to breed after November 20th in order to have goats kid after Passover next year.  From this point on, I will make sure I look at the calendar and plan each breeding and kidding season according to this calendar to eliminate extra work for any farm sitters we may have.  

We decided that we would be starting new with pure breed Buff Orpington hens and roosters.  They will be shipped in March.  So we have a boat load of "mutt'' chickens, and old meat birds to get rid of.  Having these pure-breed, dual-purpose birds will leave us the ability to breed for our own hens in the future when it is time to replace our older hens.  

I harvested all the carrots, cabbage, and broccoli from the garden, and while it wasn't much, the meals made with it were delicious.  There is something about eating food you grew; it tastes so much better. With that in mind, it seems so hard to believe that it is already ten weeks until our last frost date.  This means I will start putting seeds under a grow light to give me a head start on the growing season.  I don't normally do this, but last year I told myself that it certainly doesn't hurt to put a seed in a pot and plant a small plant when I would normally plant a seed.  

Several months ago, I purchased four more raised beds.  Those will need to be assembled and ready for more compost come spring.  I plan to grow potatoes in buckets rather than the ground this year.  It is my hope that will help out with all those rogue "baby" potatoes we miss and end up with a whole mess of potato plants growing in a bed of weeds. 

And how can I forget to share pictures of the zebu and our little zebu calf?

Another Season Gone

I took a bit of a break from blogging. Sometimes a person feels there is nothing to say and they struggle with whether or not it even matters. 

I hadn't planned to come back to blogging.  I deleted my blog and didn't even miss it. Then yesterday I wondered if blogger had permanently deleted it yet and decided to take a look. It was still there. So I restored it and will try to squeeze in some updates every now and then. 

Meanwhile, we have officially entered winter and despite the expectation of snow and the thrill of its beauty, it isn't my favorite time of year. However, I am learning to embrace the purpose for such a season. It is a time to rest from the toils of the previous seasons that bring a heavier burden of work through gardening, food preservation, and various other tasks that homesteading requires. While the work doesn't end simply because the weather is cold, there is less of it, and in an odd way, the mind and body misses it. The Father created us to work and the absence of it leaves a void that can't be put into words.

The whole family was here for Thanksgiving.  It was a great time to be together despite my not being crazy about the holiday cooking.  The week end prior, Al and Andrew went down to Florida to move Leandra to Arkansas.  Rebekah and her boyfriend, Sterling, drove up a few days before Thanksgiving.  Andrew, who lives a little over an hour from us, came with his girlfriend, Sarah.  

Andrew with Sarah

Sterling, Rebekah, Andrew, and Leandra at the end

Al started his new job this week and that meant I have had to pick up and do those jobs he was doing. Although it takes a bit to get out the door, it leaves me feeling good because I am moving and working for the health and well being of the farm, animals, and the family.  This week we will need to beginning milking the goats, although three of them are not mine, but the girls'.  

So to give a little bit of a summary.  We bred the second round of goats in October and November for spring kids. 

Our fall babies started dropping on December 7th when Mocha and Snickers kidded. Mocha had triplets that morning as we were waking up, 1 boy and two girls. The boy was dead on arrival.  Snickers had a single buckling a few hours later. Then on Monday the 9th, Almond Joy gave birth to a beautiful doeling. We also had a surprise delivery of our zebu calf. A week later, our final goat to deliver was Kit Kat and she also had a single doeling. All of these little babies (except the zebu) were sired by Rainy Day Prince.

Snicker's Prince Doodlebug

Almond Joy's Nutmeg

Mocha's twins: Smores and Kiwi

Mocha didn't really come into milk, which I will blame on her age.  So her two girls are bottle fed as well as eating from mom.  For the first few days, the brown doeling, Kiwi, struggled to keep warm. So we brought her into the house until day 5.  They are now doing very well.  

KitKat's PopTart

And I can't forget to share the pictures of our sweet little bull calf, CheezBurger.  

 

On top of all of these additions, we were able to barter all the sheep for some "lumberjack" work.  We only have the two ram lambs left which will be processed next month.  

The garden is still producing and I am so happy about it!  I pick a few carrots here and there, but for the most part, we just keep it all in the ground.  We pretty much have chard, kale, broccoli, cabbage, and carrots left in the raised beds.  I keep them covered with a double layer of white pest barrier cloth and it works well to keep it warm.  We have had temps pretty close to 20 degrees and there has been very little damage.  

broccoli

cabbages

carrots

And, so here we are looking at the last week or so of both December and 2025.  We will be celebrating the 8 day festival of Chanukah next week beginning the evening of the 25.  For those who would like to know what it is, you can watch a video from MTOI.  ((HERE))  To sum it up, Chanukah is based on the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after the Greeks, under the rule of Antiochus, defiled the temple in 4th century BC by both sacrificing a pig on the altar and putting up a statue of their god in side.  The revolt led by the Maccabees was successful despite the horrific persecution the Jewish people received during that time.  There is a legend of a miracle of oil which claims there was only one days worth of purified oil for the menorah, but it lasted 8 days.  There has never been found any evidence of this.  Therefore, we do not believe it.  On the other hand, the menorah did require oil, which is why we do not have a problem with consuming fried foods, which is tradition.  We also play the dreidle game and light candles for eight days on the chanukiah, the 9 branch candle stick.  Chanukah is celebrated 8 days because the Jewish people were unable to keep the feast of Sukkot a few months prior to the rededication(for obvious reasons). Many Jewish people have transformed Chanukah into a "Jewish Christmas" of sorts, by giving gifts and even decorating a Chanukah tree (a tradition started in the 20th century).  We do not do this either.  So many people in the Messianic walk will celebrate it and look at ways they can personally rededicate their lives to Yahweh as they walk in obedience as Yeshua did.  

Well, I guess that is all for this time.  May you be blessed with health, happiness, and peace.  Enjoy your holidays and Happy New Year!

A Change of Seasons

Fall is upon us, and while the work slows a bit, there is never a shortage of projects to be done, or completed.  I mentioned a while back that we were working to get our cows to the "back pasture".  For us, the back pasture means the back of the house, not the back of the property.  

A wet weather creek divides our 40+ acre property in half.  All of the buildings are in the northern half of the property, while the southern half is all trees, brush, and grass.  Al and a family friend have been working hard to get this area cleared in order to put up fencing.  It is nearly done!  

the east (back) pasture

the west (back) pasture

The barn will be a shelter for the cows this winter, but before it can be used for such, it will need to have trees cleared from around it in order to protect it from being crushed.  So the majority of what you see will indeed be removed soon. 

 

I had all these photos in order but they ended up reversed, so I will just share with you what they are.  The perennial garden is putting in a lot of fall growth and my cape daisies put on a second bloom.  They are so beautiful with their lavender petals and deep purple centers. 

The fig tree has several figs on them, and the few I have picked have been absolutely delicious!  I could never go back to eating dried figs after fresh figs! 

Here is the perennial garden.  This was supposed to be the first photo, but it ended up being the last of this set.  The mint is taking over the garden, but I am okay with it.  The fig tree is doing quite well there in the center.  Off to the left, the zinnias have rejuvenated as well as planted a second round of flowers for the year.  Next year, it will be a crazy invasion of flowers!  Other plants you can't see in this shot are yarrow, marshmallow, calendula, raspberry, horehound, and chicory. 

The grow towers were pulled from the back deck in order to put them in the shade.  I planted lettuce in them and hope they do better than my first planting.  

And...my volunteer potato patch is insane.  I never would have thought I left that many grape sized potatoes in the ground when I harvested our lame "1st harvest" in the summer. There is also a load of volunteer dill in the same bed.  

This was my experimental potato garden in which I planted the grape sized potatoes.  It is doing quite well now, though not exceptional since they took so long to get started.  

My purple podded pole beans are putting on some bean pods.  It will be nice to get a few fresh beans before winter comes. 

The few raised beds that have food growing in them: carrots, cabbage, kale, broccoli, beans, and chard.  All the pepper plants were pulled out after days of me trying to figure out what to do with all the hot peppers that were growing.  Much to my surprise, the chickens and turkeys ate every single pepper and leaf from the piles of plants I threw over to them.  I wonder if this means we will have some spicy eggs?  

the radish and chard bed, with beans on trellis

And, on an interesting note, our tomatoes have had a second "birth" so to speak.   These plants decided they would put on new growth and are loaded with more tomatoes.  They are taller than I am!  I had heard that they can have a second round of growth at the end of the summer and into fall, and I guess that is true.  I was worried that the cooler temperatures would mean less or no tomatoes, but found out they do their best growing between 70 and 84 degrees (give or take a few degrees).  

In other news, we found out we had another water line leak, so Al got to digging several days ago and found it in no time.  He fixed the leak, but still needs to put in new pipes to the shop. 

And, with the beginning of this season, we open our Biblical calendar to the seventh month, which is full of feasts and holy days.  Ten days ago, we "blew" in the beginning of years, with Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets).  Yesterday, we kept Yom Kippur (Day of Atonements).  It also fell on the weekly sabbath, but since Yom Kippur is typically a day of fasting, I didn't prepare any meals ahead of time.  The girls were given the option to fast, and they all did a fabulous job in doing so.  Caleb was the only one who ate simple meals like toast and sandwiches.  When the sun went down, we all ate a light supper of crackers, bread, lunch meat, cheese, carrots, grapes, and kefir.  Of course, we replenished our water as well!  

So, all the excitement turns to the final festival and feast, Sukkot: Feast of Tabernacles.  The kids are absolutely excited beyond belief.  We decided this year to allow them to pick their snacks.  They each have a bowl of snacks, but there are also bags to share.  There is more than enough, that is for certain!  We also planned the menu for the week, three meals a day, s'mores for a few nights!  The plan is to sleep on the deck again.  This year, we will spread out a bit more with the dining canopy on the lower deck.  Year before last year, the big tent we got from my parents ended up with a hole in the roof when something fell through.  Then rain caused the tent to leak pretty bad.  Our other tents leak horribly and aren't really any good for sleeping, much less playing.  We will be doing tie dye shirts again and other crafts that didn't get done last year like candle votive holders and yarned pumpkins.