MUST HAVE BEEN A FULL MOON!!!

Doing chores---First part of the 'chore' routin is 'feeding of the cats'! For some reason, they think they have senority over all else!! Maybe cause the oldest cat has been around for ---what?????15 yrs!!! OK OK---sooooo that's the way I start chores. Cats first, corn for all the 'feathered friends' 2nd, then onto the goats... GOATS!! Went to the goat shed, saw that Toasty was not out and about with the others, peeked through the many 'peek holes' in the goat shed and saw 4 teeny, tiny legs----I left--not wanting to disturb anything, finished the rest of the chores with the anticipation as to what was going on in the Goat Shed!!! Finished the chores, went to the goat shed and Toasty had 2 beautiful little baby goats that she was seriously taking care of-----ok---according to the pic. of Toasty, she was taking care of her appetite and the babies (2 doelings, girls) hanging around! All was well---

THEN----got a visual of a Muscovy Duck Mamma that was walking around the yard with 16 baby ducklings!!! Major panic set in cause she was just doing her Mamma thing, but our really big male goose was really really curious about the cute, little, fluffy things walking around the yard----------here is where I got the 'visual' of whomever it was that came up the the idea of 'BIG BIRD' cause that is just what he looked like when BIG GOOSE was peering DOWN at the baby ducklings!!! Ya gotta know, that this all happened before BREAKFAST and before I had a SHOWER!!!

Went to the goat shed to check on the babies and Avalon had delivered 2 more goat babies!!!!! 1 (doeling, 1 buckling) OMG!!!-----------it's Friday, the day to kinda 'kick back' and it's obvious that things are happening and happening at a really fast pace!!!! At the end of the day---the goat herd had doubled in size!!! 16 more baby ducks than the day before, and it turned out to be a really BAD HAIR DAY!!! (for me)! Never got the opportunity to even 'fix' my hair---kinda a big deal with me.. OH WELL!

When is the next FULL MOON???? I must plan ahead!! Yeah right---there is never 'planning ahead in this life!!! Dinner tonite???? hmmm, can't remember! Love my life, gmasu...

Hey---comments on 4 new names for the baby goats!!!

MUST BE HARVEST TIME (SOMEWHERE)!!!!

It truly must be time to harvest something----(somewhere)! I must admit, that I have been harvesting lettuce, lucious basil, radishes, mustard greens. The only problem is----nothing I have harvested has been from the fluffy, tilled, composted, garden!!! Everything that has been harvested, so far, has been harvested out of my GREENHOUSE!!! The weather has not been cooperative enough to put anything (most anything) in the ground yet! Need I bring up that "W" word again (wind, ugh)! Of course, it is too early to plant the basil in the ground, but my greenhouse is FULL TO THE BRIM, with some things that could, and should have already been exposed to the great 'garden of the outdoors' and not be little 'sissy plants' hangin' out in the greenhouse!!! Maybe next week???

OK----dinner tonight---homemade pasta noodles, homemade pasta sauce, homemade garlic bread, snippets of FRESH BASIL atop the pasta---thank you, my lovely greenhouse for making fresh basil available the end of April!!! XOXOXOXgmasu...

WHY MULEFOOT HOGS???

First of all---I can NOT possibly go another blog of 'when will the wind quit blowing' not sure it will 'quit blowing' in the near future--so must move on--------------

Meet Huntley! Our Breeding Boar! (is that the cutest face in the whole world??)---Why did we choose the Mulefoot Hogs to raise??? This breed is the rarest of American swine breeds, very, very, very, RARE! The Mulefoot hog population is considered as 'Critical' by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. OUR GOAL---- to bring them back to the dinner table---or they really will 'go away.' Some of those chosen breeds of animals may not be around in the future if we just let them become extinct---how sad. The flavor of this Mulefoot pork (yes, we did one in ---so we know what the heck we are talking about) reminds me of what pork used to taste like. The flavor of the Heritage Hog is 'that flavor' of the Heritage Tomato and 'that flavor' just does not come out of the local grocery store anymore----you have to 'find it', OR , find someone that has 'found it!' Your LOCAL Farmers Market or local farmer/rancher that cares about NATURAL FOOD!!!

The picture is of our precious Huntley--who Gpa & Uncle Stan went to Wyoming (7 miles from the Nebraska border) to get our breeding stock. They are the absolute 'friendlist' OH --- pet me, pet me, scratch me --PLEEZ!!! hogs in the whole world. I will admit that all hogs I have been around have not been 'friendly' these kids would rather have Scratches, Hugs, Attention above their food!!! And ya ---just can't help but obliging them!!! We have Huntley (pic) Feebee and Faith (Huntley's girlfriends). They are so so so much fun and personable, PETS!!!

OK------------------if the wind doesn't quit blowing--who knows what I may blog about tomorrow!!! (maybe my extinct geese) XOXOXOXOXgmasu...

LIQUID GOLD!!!

After the discovery of the loss of our bees, Gpa decided to pull out the honey frames and see if we could possibly salvage any honey!!! YEAH--------so far, have salvaged almost 1/2 gallon of that marvelous 'LIQUID GOLD', soooooooo maybe will be able to share after all!!!

Rained most of the day. Thunder and Lightening, of course, everything is very very green and plush looking.

Ended up with only 1 turkey poult out of the 4 Midget White Mammas and pulled the rest of the eggs. They are DONE hatching!!! Have 3 Bourbon Red Moms setting on 3 different nests, so, hopefully, that will be a success! Anyway, the single turkey poult baby is bunking with the 25 Java chicks so the turkey poult could possibly have an identity crisis in the near future! Time will tell!!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRLS!!! HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL DAY!!! XOXOXOXgmasu...

WHAT A WEEKEND!!!

Did not even check to see if there was a full moon or not, BUT----'things happen when there is a full moon!' Had 2 baby Muscovy ducks hatch----yeah---was not expecting them quite yet!! A turkey poult hatched----took it away from Mamma(s) and put it in with the Java chicks cause we have NO CONFIDENCE that 4 Mamma Midget White turkeys are capable a being good Mammas, think they just like to set around!!! Maybe I need to toss them some 'bon bon's' if I can ever figure out what a 'bon bon' is!!! So, obviously, I think I am the better Mom than the Midget Whites turkeys. That being said----those Bourbon Red Turkey Moms are the absolute BEST! So-----in our search of keeping 1 Heritage Breed of each animal, am thinking that the Bourbon Red Turkeys may be the 'keeper.' Besides-------is there anything better than a BOURBON (or a RED head)???

THEN-----------those wonderful goats that are just about ready to HATCH (kid)!!!! Took them some fresh fresh bedding straw today cause, looks to me, like things may start happening SOON!!!

My Sister and my Daughter both have Birthdays tomorrow!!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday to my 2 favorite females!!!! 20 yrs. apart, not going to give out ages----will let AARP deal with that!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LADIES!!! Many many many more!!! Here's to ya!!!gmasu...

JAVAS, BEEZ, & QUACK QUACK!!!

BEEZ----Very, very sad this week when we opened the bee hives and the bees did not make it through the winter. Don't know if it was from the cold, disease, or what---do know that the hives will be cleaned out of the little carcuses (sob) put back together and we will get more bees! Every flower I have planted in the past several years have been for the BEEZ. I will continue to plant for them. Will miss that wonderful honey this year, and will guard what I have like GOLD---oh--wait--it is! Sorry, guys, probably won't be a sharing of the honey jar this year!!! NEXT YEAR!!!

QUACK QUACK----Our precious Blue Swedish Duck and his family of 5. They went to a new home this morning! A lady stopped by this week wanting to know if we had any ducks she could get. Have had ducks go to her home in the past years, so know she has a very 'duck friendly' environment. Have decided to just concentrate on the Muscovy Ducks (of course, Muscovy Flats, DUHHHHH!) Quack Quack was the last of our original ducks. We started on the wonderful 'DUCK & GOOSE PATH' in 2005 so he is 5 yrs. old next month. They will do very well in their new environment, you should see the water they will be swimming in, not that our canal isn't great, but the new canal will be quite a challenge in 'duck world' it's running pretty fast at this time. Farewell, my friend, Quack Quack and your friends, I know you will have a wonderfully swimmingly great life, and your new guardians will take very good care of you!!!

MOTTLED JAVAS---One of the oldest breeds of chickens in America, known to be in existence in 1835! How cool is that?? We have been, patiently, on the waiting list to get these little guys for 2 years!!! 25 showed up Wed. 10 roosters, 15 hens. They are touted as being self'-sufficient, hardy, lay brown eggs, excellent broody hens (setting and hatching their eggs) and mothers, a great meat bird!!! What we have noticed with this group of 25 (they ALL arrived LIVE) pretty rare in the baby chickie world --is that they are HYPER-CHICKIES!!! My gosh! (chicks on speed)!! These guys are very HIGH ENERGY!!! Now----I have been in the world of 'baby chicks' for about 30 years and these guys are way way 'out there.' Will be interesting to see how they develop. Like the ducks, we are trying to pin down that 1 Heritage Breed in each animal, ie: ducks, turkeys, pigs etc., and just concentrate on that particular 'Heritage Breed'. Should be an interesting adventure!!! Like All the Adventures we take---

OK----won't go into the other weekly crazy happenings----IS THERE A PLUMBER OUT THERE!!!! Will just tease you with that!!!!!!!! (ps. not a privy problem, this time!!)XOXOXgmasu...

GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE!!!!

At this time, there is a posted picture of my 'sweet, innocent, loveable Mulefoot Hogs! That is, they where sweet, innocent and loveable until yesterday morning when Faith decided she needed to go on an 'adventure!' Gpa was dressed and ready to go to work when I discovered the escapee, who was just havin' a grand ole time 'checkin out green things!' FINALLY--managed to get her back from 'wence she came', but I could tell she had a 'taste of the green' and probably not content with GREEN ALFALFA and the same ole, same ole breakfast---cause after a lightening storm the previous night, there was sooooo much 'high energy' green things out and about that she/they would not be content for long--------------SOLUTION---opened up the next door dog yard that had lots a greens in it, in fact was going to put the goats in the dog yard that day to clean up the greens------dogs came out of their yard, Mulefoots went into the dog yard and enjoyed every lucious green thing they could chomp on, not to mention the running around and kicking up their Mulefoot Heels! OH---yes---they did have a grand time. Stayed in their Mulefoot Home all night and even 'layed around' all day, today. Am thinking, lotsa excercise and 'foriegn food' just about wore them out!!!

OK----in the meantime, the kitchen sink has been plugged most of the week, thank Heaven for paper plates!!! Tonight ---- when doing chores, the outside faucet quit working, that's the water that goes to all animals, plants, etc. etc. etc. OH yeah---and the house!!! Gpa was supposed to be out of town for a meeting this week---sooooo glad that got cancelled until next month!!! Lets see---what will we do this weekend???Priority-----------fix the outside water, reinforce the Mulefoots fence, get the kitchen sink to drain-------I was reminded today, that there were two people at Gpa's work that lost their Mothers, there are two men, that I know of, that wives are having major medical problems. I thank you God, that my problems are so 'fixable' and are such a non-issue and by the first of the week, all will be flowing, fenced and watered!!! My life is soooooooooooooo wonderful!!!XOXOXOXOX-gmasu...PS: The Javas arrived yesterday---will fill you in on them tomorrow--stay tuned!!!

A TRIBUTE TO A GREAT ROOSTER!!!

It's very rare that a rooster will last for 11 years, but that's how long we had Oloff. That being said, we didn't hatch him ourselves, but he was a young when we ordered him off ebay (before eggbig) from Minnisota. Soooooo---Oloff and His Bride (yes, that was her name), Americauna Rooster and Hen arrived 11ish years ago. His Bride has been gone for approx. 8 years. Oloff hasn't been very active as of late. He had to be separated from the 'flock' for quite some time as those young and upcoming roosters where not respecful of the Ol' Roo. Oloff hung out with the goats and he had a few hens with him from time to time and outlived his hens.

Oloff would walk up to the house and kinda mingle around the edges with the yard birds on occassion. Noticed a couple of days ago he was kinda 'stumbly' (not sure if that's a word!). We had been recently discussing the fact that he would probably not be around much longer. When I do the morning chores, was always more surprised to find Oloff 'alive' in the morning, than I was when I found him 'not alive' yesterday morning. I am so so glad that he had a long and wonderful life and just went to 'sleep.' Would have been heart broken had some cruel animal got a hold of his vulnerable body and drug him off---------here's to you Oloff...

MOW MOW MOW YOUR 'BOAT!'

Not quite sure if I even remember how to do this 'blog' thing, it has been so long------think Spring Vaca. time. Must get back in the saddle again. Think there has just not been anything very interesting to blog about!. How many times can you say "I WISH THE WIND WOULD STOP BLOWING AND THE SUN WOULD SHINE???" Well----the wind did stop blowing for a bit yesterday, Sun. and actually got the old riding lawn mower out and did the first mowing of the season. Good thing I did it yesterday cause it's raining today!!! At least the wind isn't blowing (yet)!!!

Dal and Nick-------good luck Wed. on your 'Battle of the Bands' that should be a fun time. Would love to be there!!!XOXOXOXgmasu...