I've had a short break from blogging as I journeyed over in Facebook-land, but I am back. Perhaps it isn't the greatest timing since we are headed into the cold season of the year, that which usually doesn't have a whole lot of things going on.
Early November, Andrew and I went to Union City, TN, with the kids, so see my parents. We went to the Discovery Park and stayed at an Air BnB while in Union City.
In the home...
We finally got most of the water issues resolved around the property. We are pretty convinced that the water company has been messing with the water and causing fluctuations in the water pressure as well as a change in the "chemical cocktail" added to the water they send up down the lines.
Al has since repaired all the problems outside the house and has installed a pressure regulator in the house where the water enters. We do have a very minor drip at the point of entrance, but he can fix that in just a few minutes. The main bathroom had new pipes put in after a leak was discovered. Al has also been installing "Studor" vents around the house to help with air flow and odors that were escaping the drains.
We ordered a side of grass fed/grass finished beef from a local farm. The meat arrived today, delivered, to my surprise. The final weight was 277 pounds (according to the invoice) and it came to about $4.25 per pound. My only issue is that I am not sure. Last month, I purchased a special of 50 pounds of their ground beef at $4.50 per pound. We do still have some cuts of meat from the last side of beef we purchased from Farm to Fork, but that beef is not grass fed and I don't want grain fed. Plus, that beef was more expensive! On a side note, they forgot to throw the beef tongue into our order, so they said they would give us a few. I told them, it wasn't anything I wanted, but my husband would be sorely disappointed!
In the garden...
I planted garlic a week or two ago and it has officially sprouted. Once it gets a bit taller, I plan to mulch with leaves. The pots of herbs have been pulled up to the porch, and the strawberries are pondering hibernation. Unfortunately, it has been a bad year for strawberries despite my many attempts to increase the number of plants. If I were to calculate what I have, I am at half what I started the year with.
On the Homestead...
We spent two Sundays this past month processing the meat birds we raised. We put 18 birds into the freezer, each averaging about 4# 5 oz. each. An order has been put in for our next shipment of birds, 35 Freedom Rangers, set to be delivered the week of December 26th. This would give them about 12-16 weeks to grow before processing during the month of April.
We have finally been able to determine that our three turkey poults are indeed a breeding trio. We are hopeful that these three will be able to produce a good "crop" of protein for us next year. The gray turkey is the tom.
Our newer hens still haven't picked up to full production of eggs, but we have seen a few extras now as our older hens start to slack. We average between 6 and 12 eggs a day from 10 new hens and 11 older hens.
We have confirmed pregnancies on four of our goats, all are due in January. I may also have a handful of does who are pregnant, but it was too early to determine. I put all the does who weren't confirmed pregnant, in a pen with a buck for three weeks. This past Sunday, I pulled all the does, but Yelana out, then put a different buck with her. Yelana is my "special" doe. She was purchased at a lower price because the previous owner was unable to get her to settle when bred. So I plan to keep her with a buck as long as it takes to seal the deal. (Just so long as it doesn't take so long that I need the pen for baby goats.)
Our sheep have been together for quite some time and I am beginning to see some very round bellies. At first the rams were fighting a lot, with Othello appearing to come out on top in terms of head ram. But it does appear that either he got his rear kicked, or Lego was given freedom to do what he wanted. Who knows? Our two little ram lambs, while slow to grow, will be processed in January. I plan to keep it pretty simple with leg of lamb, and ground lamb.
Finally, the zebu are doing quite well. Little Patty, affectionately called Patuska by me, comes to the fence for treats. She still doesn't allow long pets, but she does allow you to put something yummy in her mouth. A few weeks back, I was trying to pick up an alfalfa cube for her when the bull accidentally pinned my arm in the fence. Let's just say it hurt and left a lovely bruise for weeks!
Family...
While we don't normally celebrate Thanksgiving due to not wanting to do all the cooking, we were quite blessed to have all the kids here for the week.
Last Monday evening, Leandra arrived with her boyfriend, Matt, who drove all the way from Panama City, Florida. Rebekah arrived on Tuesday evening from Denver, and Kael flew in on Thursday.
Tuesday evening, Matt and Hannah prepared gnocchi for supper. Even though it took a lot longer to prepare than initially thought, we still enjoyed the food immensely!
On Wednesday, Abigail celebrated her 13th birthday. We had an ice cream cake, made by Leandra, and Abby opened her gifts.
Blessings to you all.
