It's Fall!

Well, it has been a very busy summer. It went by so fast it is a blur. Crystal was bred- but failed to conceive. She is now retired to official couch potato status.  Fawn and Faline were bred and Fawn took- giving us a lovely buckling we named Ghost Buster.  He was born July

Here is a more recent photo, takenm a month later with Austin holding him. Austin seems to be Buster's favorite and Austin is pretty attached to him too.

We decided after much thought to let him stay whole. He is an improvement on Fawn and I feel he will be an asset to future kids. So he and Loki will get thier own pen shortly. Faline is off being rebred, as well as Billy Jean- the boer doe. We may rebreed Fawn as she dried up since I had a heavy schedule and was unable to get started milking.
We had a productive year with the poultry, though also lots of losses due to predators. We had our last hatch last week- one of the rouen ducks hatched out 9 ducklings!

We have been busy putting up food for the year. The garden did ok even with the late start getting it in due to the weather and work schedule. We are still getting tomatoes, broccoli and cabbage. Just put up spaghetti sauce today. Also went to the apple orchard and got apples and made apple dumplings and apple pie filling. The pears on our tree did well, I made pear butter with those. I was not prepared for the amount of grapes we got and decided to feed those to the animals instead.

Also been working on getting the garden pond in this year. We got a good start on it....but it will now be reconfigured since a freind of mine is moving out of state and is giving me hers. So working on removing all of that and the landscaping and hoping the trees, plants and fish make it through the winter.  Here is a shot of what we got done.

And here is a shot of the one we are moving.

What a project this is going to be!

We have been getting ready for winter. We bought a wood stove and Austin and I installed the tiles and heat shield, then Chris and Brandon came over and moved it in. The pipe should be hooked up next weekend and ready to fire up! Now to stock up on firewood.

We got rid of the propane cooking stove and now have an electric one. No more propane and high propane bills! I still need to find a new home for the propane fireplace and the propane heaters in the kennel building (which I quit using a couple years ago since the dogs would lay in the snow rather than take advantage of the warm building- guess they thought it was too warm). I may get another wood stove for the bedroom, but for now we will just heat it with electric when we sleep- otherwise the door can stay open.
My work has picked up...I suppose that is fine for winter as things will be winding down, but I have not enjoyed it during the warm months. It really cut into the time I needed to get things done at home and my sleep has lacked because of it.
I am ready for fall this year....not because I enjoy the coming winter and the challenges it brings- but because it means more time to bake, spend time with family and freinds and work on projects in the house. Austin put tile down in the entry way, finished grouting the other entry that was tiled a few years ago and we are preparing to remodel the second bath. I took the claw foot tub to the shop to be sand blasted last week....next week we will paint it and start doing the tear down. The wall needs moved to fit it in. Then tile will go on the floor, bead board half way up wall and wall paper over that. I already have a pedestal sink I picked up for free, a mirror that matches the one in my bath, sconces and a mini crystal chandelier to go in there.  Big possibility my mom will be moving in and I think she will really love this bathroom when it is done....I know I will :)

Been a while...

Thanks to Amazing Grace Farm, it reminded me I need to post again :) Here is a link to thier blog for the giveaway I entered. http://amazinggrazefarm.blogspot.com/2011/10/general-store-autumn-give-away.html

I am sooo upset!

In my incubator I still could not get humidity above 36% and was adding a half a glass of water when I turned/tipped eggs twice a day...was really confused. Found out why this morning. I did not know there is HOLES drilled in the bottom tray. No where in the instruction booklet did it say that, no one else told me that...I was told by one person to put water in the bottom tray outside of the rings when I initially had probs getting the humidity up, so when I have been adding water- instead of moving the egg tray out of the bator, I have just been pouring it in beside the egg tray. I had the bator on a furniture pad on my antique cherry hutch, so until I added a full glass of water this morning, the pad was apparently absorbing what leaked out. This morning when I put in a full glass I heard water running. Lifted the incubator to see a stream running out the bottom! I found mold growing under the pad and the finish on my cabinet is now ruined! I am soooo ticked! Why would they drill holes into a bottom tray that is meant to hold water????

Puppies in the future?

According to the fertile focus testing, Crystal should have ovulated on 3/29. We got an AI done on the 28th and the 30th and will do one more on the 2nd.  If all goes right, we should have pups close to my birthday at the beginning of June. That would be a wonderful birthday present! Also will have kids (baby goats) around the same time, so I will certainly be able to get my "baby" fix :)
The chicks and ducklings came in- all survived the trip and are doing well. I put turkey eggs in the incubator on Sunday, so hoping to get some royal palm turkey babies from those. As a back up I ordered 5 royal palm poults from the feed store, which will be here on the 8th.  Need to get rabbits bred this weekend and get my chickens separated out by breed again.
Tom is working on installing the garden pond that has been sitting out here for almost a year. It will be so cool when it is finished!  We need to get the compost into the garden and the lime (according to Aunt Barb, that is why our sweet corn has not been very sweet the last couple years). We are planning on putting in the 3 raised beds for the raspberries and blueberries and herb garden this weekend too.  Will hold off on planting for another couple weeks though.  We have decided not to start any garden plants inside this year as with our schedules lately, would be too easy to forget to care for them.
Made a trip to South Bend this week to the dentist. As I figured, looking at some major work, but at least now there is hope of being able to eat steak and smile again since I now have 2 dental insurance plans and a care credit card (thanks to Tom). 
Tabitha is supposed to come over on Friday so I can visit with the grandbabies. I can't wait! 

Spring is coming...soon.

Saw a robin so Spring is definately on its way. Last week was lovely! Got a head start on cleaning up some of the winter/late fall mess. Saturday Tom even went and got 2 truck loads of mulch...since I was already was pulling weeds out of the flower beds and laid that out.  Still need to get another truckload for the butterfly garden. I got the asparagus bed cleaned out and mulched. Going to have to find some strawberry plants this week to put in as last years plants resulted in only these tiny berries all summer. I think Tom bought the wrong ones or they were mispackaged. I picked up some new raspberry plants yesterday. We are going to move the patch, I think the current location is too wet for them as I only see a couple in the drier location came back this year.  Got a shipment of hertitage seeds in from Aunt Barb and we need to get some more seeds and start those very soon. Need to finish repairing the wire in the dividers in the coops so the breeds can be separated. Brandon got a start on it though. Chicks and ducklings are on the way- they shipped today.
Unfortunately, I lost my baby yesterday. Tom the royal Plam turkey who I raised from a poult and would follow me around and give me turkey hugs passed away.

 He will be greatly missed. Now I am on the search for a new boyfreind for the royal palm hens. If that fails, I guess I will be ordering more poults and we will have no royal palms available this season.  I still have the Bourbon Red trio, so will at least be able to breed them.
I am going to pick up a fan for my incubator and start hatching some eggs.  Think I will go ahead and hatch out some of the turkey eggs for starters as I don't mind if those are mixed, I can use them for meat.
The chicks we got from a freind are so freindly. They love to follow Tom (husband) around and sit on his shoulder while he does chores. Tom enjoys thier company and often brings them in with him when he needs to grab something from the house  instead of putting them down.

Tonight it is getting cold again.  Not looking forward to that, but at least I won't feel pressured to get things done outside this week.
Crystal is in season. This is her last shot at being a mom....she has failed to get pregnant each time I took her out to breed, so breeding her at home this time. If she doesn't take this time, she will have to be content with being a puppy sitter. I am hoping she takes...she is such a lovely girl with an awesome temperment.

 I have really liked what was produced by her brothers and expect even better from her. I will also breed either Dot (Harmony) or Autumn if they wait to come into season this year. I would rather not have 2 litters at once.

Making changes

After sitting down and looking at where our money was going this winter, we figured out why we were always broke. We looked at food cost- I already have our grocery/household supplies expenses knocked down to about $50 every 2 weeks as we use a lot of home canned items- so I only buy meat, milk, cheese, rice and pasta ( plus fresh veggies in winter), and a few household cleaners. Animal feed, I did some shopping around in a town I now have to go to for work and found chicken feed cheaper by a couple dollars, but that won't make much of a difference. Energy! We knew it was bad but did not realize how bad...we figured we spend at least $1800.00 each month on energy (kerosene/electric/gasoline/wood pellets) in the cold months. We discussed getting yet another job...we already work 3 jobs between us and have to hire in help a couple days a week. We talked about cutting other expenses, but not much more fat to trim unless I got rid of the dogs. What we really need to cut is energy cost. Cutting gasoline cost- with the rising cost we have only making needed trips and have gotten great at consolidating trips. We talked about more economical vehicles, but that would mean another payment which would cancel out the savings and if we got one for cash, it would add an insurance payment....plus would be of no use in the winter when we need 4WD.  Even if we got rid of the kerosene and wood pellets and went back to all propane we would still have about the same cost per year for heating. Now looking into wood stoves.  That would be more work, but much more economical. I found an antique wood cookstove for $300- picking it up tommorrow.  It will not be enough to heat the whole house, so will need to replace the pellet stove with a wood stove. When we do the kitchen remodel this summer (already have most of the supplies), the propane stove will go. We already have ceramic tile for the floor, so will just need to put tile on the wall as well around the wood stove and it will be ready. The pellet stove was borrowed so will be returned and replaced by a Franklin.
Eventually, we would like to go either solar or windmills to supply our electric.  I will keep an eye out for things that will work for less cost.
I am also starting to think more about bartering. We normally have enough produce to supply us for about 2 yrs.  If I could barter a years worth for hay and grain for the animals, that would be another expense gone. I am considering setting up a produce stand at the end of the lane. I will have to check into laws about that.
Our chickens, turkeys and ducks already pay for themselves with chick/poult sales, eggs and meat.  The rabbits...I need to find a little more econonomical way to raise them. Though I like the PenPals pellets as it contains no corn or soy and I wind up feeding less...I wonder if adding hay would cut down on the amount needed more without sacrificing growth rate.  I may have to make hay racks for the cages and start feeding alfalfa hay to see. I have decided to not to add to the french lops and breed them very little. All I seem to be able to get back from them is an occassional pet or 4H sale.  I can't butcher them...those faces and personality...neither can Tom. So going to concentrate on the meat rabbits which eat less and produce meat for the dogs. Dog food is a large weekly expense as we go through 15-20 lbs of RMB's a week which costs about 65 cents a lb for chicken quarters currently. I do find an occasional deer that has been hit and use that for dog food, but need to find a way to produce more meat from home. I am hoping the bucklings that get grown out will help with that. I am also considering a couple feeder pigs as they could be fed mostly garden scraps and goats milk and after we get the electric fence up- hair sheep which would be fed primarily off the land.  The calves should be ready to pick up within in the next couple weeks.  That will cut our food expense, as the sale of the second calf will pay for the raising and processing for both calves. I am looking into building a greenhouse to extend our growing season as well. After all that is in place, we should have enough food to feed us and the dogs with just household cleaners/personal care and dry staples needing purchased.  My goal is to have our expenses down to the minimum when the house is paid off in 15 yrs so we can do with just one job, or a reverse mortgage on the farm.

Time to get busy-er!

The weather this week was a bit warmer- with a few cold nights in there and snow last night...but broken up with some days in the high 40's. Tom got his Jeep back- so I can stop playing chauffeur- yeah!!! 
 I had Peyton and Bella for the night on Friday. I swear Peyton looks so much like Austin with his blonde curls at that age- I was calling him Austin the first 2 hours! I got a couple photos of Peyton, but when I opened them they were too grainy :( Here is a couple pics of Austin at 2 though. Yes...that is me with the bleach blonde hair LOL  That is Brandon next to him.
                                       Hmmm I wonder if I can dig into the cake with my hands...

                                                       Cake or ice cream??? ...both!

Tabitha said she was going to get Peyton a hair cut...noooo! I love his blonde curls!  I probably won't be seeing the other grandbabies for a long time- if ever. Ashley decided she is done with the marriage and staying in KY with her mom. She is mad at me because I posted the entire story of what happened on her facebook page as I got tired of her saying it was all Justin's  fault and that he didn't care for his kids and hearing everyone bashing him. I did not get angry, I simply stated the facts and reminded her that when she married she commited to her husband above all others- including her mom.  I illustrated that Justin was showing his commitment to her and his family by his actions and keeping the promises he made. She got mad enough to cuss me out and tell me to stay out of her conversations and to swear that she was not attached to her mother. I guess she didn't care for the truth being posted for all to see. She deleted me and Justin from her Facebook after he agreed with what I said.

I am looking for a mesh dog kennel so I can keep my escape artists contained. Been searching for a used one with no luck- so guess I am going to have to bite the bullet and buy new.  Sigh.  Maybe I will just start buying a panel or 2 at a time and convert all my kennels. It will take a while though.  Wish I knew someone who could make them for me as I need custom sizes.

I have a busy week at work this week, but it is the last week with resets....so will slow down next week. Spent most of today cleaning up my office/puppy room. I could not beleive how much dust! I think I am going to take the cat box out of here, part of it was due to the scoopable litter being scratched out of the box....and scattered.

I am going to start working out again...starting tonight. I have lost almost all my weight, now just need to tone everything up sothe muscles show definition again. I WILL wear a bikini this summer!

I went shopping the clearance racks this week...bought almost $100 worth of clothes for $10! The jeans are size 7...I plan to be fitting into those shortly.

I hired Morgan back to take care of the animals on the days both Tom and I work late. So far she is doing a really good job- even Tom is commenting on it.  I ran into Parker (eye candy) yesterday. Oh my ...he is looking even better! Thinking I need to hire him back this summer just so I can watch him with his shirt off again LOL



The Best Food to Feed Your Dog – Part I | B-Naturals.Com Newsletter

The Best Food to Feed Your Dog – Part I B-Naturals.Com Newsletter

Great series of articles! A must read! Read all parts.

Week ending on a good note

After a tumultous start of the week...farm helper moved out, could not get ahold of my hay guy and the hay I did find was way overpriced and not even alfalfa, money coming ut of the account unexpectedly (Justin's bill) , money not hitting the account as it should, running out of gas (someone siphoned?), pellet stove malfunctioning and filing the house with smoke, etc.  Its getting better now though. I had a rough day in Huntington yesterday with a visiting market manager with a chip on her shoulder- found out there is bad blood between the store manager and her and I just happened to be a target. She found out that I may be polite, but I won't stand for being told that I am not doing my work and threats to call my boss.  After I showed her proof I was doing my work properly and told her to go ahead and call my supervisor that I would be calling her to tell her to expect her call- she backed off. I was so angry though I could spit. I did manage to get most of my work completed thanks to a couple of DM's in the store that helped me out while she was out of sight, but was still in a horrible mood.
Brandon called me on my way back to Ft wayne and told me gas was shooting up, so got $60 worth (which is about gone in 24 hours) with having only one vehicle for 2 people. I took the truck in to check for damage from the accident last friday. No suspension damage...may have a bent rim, but will find that out when it goes to the shop for the dent repair as I was not going to pay for them to remove the tire and check as that was not included in the free inspection. Justin met me so he could pay back the money for the bill that Ashley lied about paying when he was in Iraq -that they took out of my account. We went over to the pet store as he needed advice on what to get for his fish tank. I was getting ready to leave when my brother called him and said there was a steak dinner at this bar for $6. I decided to take Tom out and skip cooking even though it was bar, so picked him up and headed over there to meet Justin and Mike.  Though my expectations were very low, the dinner was surprisingly good- the steak cooked perfectly and a nice size. I had a drink so let Tom drive home. Justin arrived a few minutes before we had to leave- he was busy messing with his tank. Got home and had a couple more drinks, after that I felt much better. I skipped emailing my boss about the incident earlier as she had requested. Considering my state-I thought it best to be able to spell and word things politely.  Reminded today why I drink rarely....upsets my stomach the next day.
Went to pick up the Jeep this morning and found the battery was dead. The shop said they had charged the battery yesterday....so needed a new one. Took Tom to work and headed over to one of my stores to check on a water display that I was supposed to assemble today. Wanted to be sure they had it pulled by the time I came back and make sure they had someone to assist, as it is a 2 person job. Found they had set up a large display of pop, chips and various dips that was half way to the ceiling in that spot and store manager would not move it till it sold down in 2 weeks. Stopped  home on my way to work in Columbia City and checked online for battery prices and online deals for a battery. Found that even though Advanced Auto was a little more, I could get it cheaper with a discount code they sent me. Bought a $72 battery for $46! Ordered it online with the store pick up option- picked it up on my way to get Tom from work. If anyone is interested, you can get up to 40% off too with my referral http://advanceautoparts.tellapal.com/a/clk/qYpH6 .
Got most of my store calls done, but I was running too late- thanks to drivers that like to go 10 miles under the speed limit, so will have to go back and finish the Ft Wayne store tomorrow morning. Tom could tell I had another rough day and bought me some chinese food on the way home so I wouldn't have to cook. He is taking care of the animals for me tonight too. What a sweetie.
I am going to take the truck to Brandon's tommorrow to fix the crack in the transfer case that Austin supposedly fixed before. Maybe it will keep me from having to add fluid so much or at all. Then I am going to pick the grandbabies and keep them for the night. I ran into Tabbi and the babies the other day at one of my stores. Peyton was so excited to see me. I miss them so- been almost a month! Work seems to be slowing down some though, so I should be able to see them more often soon.
Brandon has been harrassed this week. Somone posted a nasty ad on CL personals saying that he was looking for sex with men and wanted photos sent. It would have been kinda funny if they just posted it for a few hours then took it down, but they didn't and he was getting calls and penis photos all night. We managed to get that one removed with a report and many people flagging it but they put up another the next morning. This time saying his wife was a skinny b***** and that he wanted a large girl to have sex with. He found out when a girl called him. He is filing a report with the police. Hoping to find out who is doing this. Seems he really ticked off someone, but to make a personal attack on his wife is NOT right.  Well, better get the inside chicks taken care of and clean up the muddy footprints the dogs made. At least it was rather nice today and will be warmer tomorrow.

Landed Brutus in a ravine today...thanks to the guy in front of me who lost control and I was trying to avoid, could not go on opposite side of road as someone was coming- caught the edge of the road (deep snow) and spun, then slid down the ravine sideways. I did manage to avoid a pole, several trees and avoided flipping. I thank God he gave me the state of mind to think it through and for keeping me and Brutus safe. Then while I was out of the truck taking pictures...someone else was going too fast and slid down too. I saw her coming and ran the other way. She hit Brutus with the front of her car as she went straight down. Minor damage as she mostly hit the tire- just a 2 inch deep dent on the fender along the wheel well. At least Brutus stopped her and was in the way of her hitting the trees. You can see my slide marks and the pole I missed.

 

The police showed up and gave the girl that hit me a ticket for going too fast for the conditions. Felt bad for her and her freind- she was 18 and her 16 yr old freind was pretty shaken up. The police only asked me who I was insured with and asked me if I knew how lucky I was that I didn't roll (I do). Someone died on st rd 9 last night close to where I slid off. Tow truck driver was nice enough to give me a break on the tow fee....1/3 off.  I then continued on to Ft Wayne to get my last store completed. Signed in and went to use the restroom...and realized pretty quickly that I was in the mens. The man standing there looked surprised as I did. I quickly turned around and told him not to worry, I didn't see anything (though I did) ...under my breath I added big. LOL  While working a customer came up and asked me about a product that was not on the shelf, so I checked the label then turned to go get the dept manager so he could check the back room...I didn't realize the guy had set his case of pop down right behind me (great place to put it). I tripped over it, but did avoid falling.  At that point I decided that Someone was trying to tell me something...like go home!  I quickly finished my store call and picked up tom from work. Stopped at the liquor store to pick up a tiny bottle of gin with the intent to forget about the day when I got home.  But when I got home I was just hungry and tired. Tom cooked dinner quickly then I ate and went to bed for a nap. I feel better now, but did cancel my appt with Brandon to replace my brake rotors since the brakes are still working fine and I really don't want to spend the extra gas money after paying a pull out bill.

Quick Post

Busy week once again. Lots of work and Tom's jeep still down. Getting it towed in tomorrow for a diagnostic before we decide to trash it.  Got a call from Spring and Edan's new owner...going through a divorce so I may be boarding the dogs for a little while until he can get situated in a new place. Going to Chicago tomorrow with Justin as he is going to sign up for school to become a mechanic. I was touched that he wanted me to go with him so rescheduled my work so I could.  He is sounding more like the Justin I used to know and love lately...has not been like that since he came back from Iraq. I like that he is looking to the future again instead of looking back on what he has been through or trying just to deal with the present.  Going to go pick up some chicks saturday. Have not heard about the calves yet, but I am ok with that. With the snow we have not been able to get the box built for the back of my truck so we can transport them.

Girls are home!

Yesterday while Brandon was replacing the tie rods on my truck, they brought the bred does back. Counting down to kidding time! Looks like they will be due the beginning of June. 
 Took Gizmo back to the outside pen as it was a nice day....but he will probably be coming back up tommorrow night as it is going to be pretty cold again. He needed the exercise though.
Going to be another busy week with 40 hours of work scheduled in 4 days- not including drive time....hoping more doesn't drop. I am going to tow the Jeep over to a shop tomorrow to have it diagnosed...Tom wants to be sure it is dead before buying another. Looks like the other Jeep he was looking at was a scam...when it seems to good to be true- it normally is. I am just glad he did not send any money.
Brandon bought a brand new car! 2011 Dodge Charger...cherry red.  I am happy for him. He has been out showing everyone all day. By the time he got here it was dark, but I am sure I will see it in the light soon.   The inside was pretty cool...computerized and neat displays....and it even has heated cloth seats.

If it has tires...

or testicles its bound to give you trouble.  I had an issue with the truck's steering shaking. I knew I had some parts that needed replaced, so had already ordered them and they are sitting in my dining room....but wasn't sure what was now moved to the soon category to the NOW category. Took the truck to Patriot Tire as they will check it out for free. Found out NOW is the front tires and the tie rods. The rcommended replacing both inner and outer at the same time as you have to take off one to get to the other anyhow. Asked them if they had 2 used tires in my size...adding only this size. They said of course- if you put on a different size it will tear up your transfer case.
Note: I wish that Tom Steele's had told that to Tom when he took my truck to get new front tires last time...instead thy asked him if it was OK that they were a different size and he said sure, not knowing any better.  I had to replace my 4WD accuator because of it...and they would not pay for it because the transfer case had a little crack in it already from bottoming out last winter- which we have known about and so keep fluid in it. Thankfully, I have son's that can do about anything I need on a vehicle so it just cost me the part- but still it as not a cheap part and I still pay my son's for the work they do.
Anyways, that store did not have any in that size, but they called around and found me a pair and told them to hold them for me. I got to the other store and they were swamped and heard him tell the man in front of me that it would be an hour and a half. I was all set to have to reschedule my stores as it was getting late. He asked me when I would like to pick it up and I told him, I am not from this area so I am going to have to wait on it. He said, let me finish this car in here and I will get it right in. I was out in 20 mins and the cost was less than I normally pay! They have earned my business. I will take it back there on Saturday to get my alignment done.
I bought the inner tie rods for the truck online tonight (seems I only bought outers when I placed my last order) and saved quite a bit....I love the internet for savings! I went to Advanced Auto website to place the order and then found a coupon code...got $15 off my order of $40 or more....and can pick it up at the store on my way to bring the truck to Brandon to fix so no shipping cost :)  If I was spending $50 or more, I could have saved even more....so will keep that in mind next week when I buy the idler arm and pitman arm and shocks....then Brutus will be ready to go pick up my calves :) 
The Jeep is toast, but previous owner will buy it back for what we would get from the junk car place. Tom found a really good deal on another one though, so if he can get a small loan, he will buy that one. I am hoping he can- he is pretty excited about it. The sad part (if this is true) is the vehicle belonged to this couples 19 yr old son. Apparrently he had gone out with his fiance' and she was driving when they were struck by a drunk driver. He did not make it. That is why they are selling it so inexpensively, they don't want the constant reminder of his vehicle sitting there. They are in south carolina and will have it delivered, it is already at the shipping company.  The transaction is going to be handled through ebay for buyer protection. I truly hope this is not a scam- that would be a horrible story to tell to scam someone.

Peppermint working?!

It has now been 10 days since we sprayed the peppermint oil in the coops/rabbitry and on the rat holes and I am cautiously optimitic. The only other thing we have done is to place one bite poison down the few rat holes we found inside the coop....but the only rats I have seen so far- dead or alive is one in the goat barn tonight that had been stomped by the goats. No evidence of poisoned rats that I have seen in the past when I have used one bite, so thinking the peppermint oil IS working.  I am going to check the poison to see if it is still in the holes or if it has been touched tomorrow.  It will be great if I can keep the rodents away without risking the lives of my livestock, cats (mine or the ferals), hawks or the great horned owls that nest in my trees. Honestly, the mice that used to frequent the chicken feeders did not bother me, they ate little and never bothered the other animals...but I can't have rats killing and maiming my poultry and rabbits everytime they find the feeders empty.  The French Lop that was attacked is recovering. She is back to her old self...thumping in her cage for her dinner tonight, trying to climb out of the cage to nibble out of the scoop when I open the door and wanting a scratch behind the ears. The ears are healing well, and she is putting her weight back on. She was thin because the rats were eating alot of her food and we were not aware of it. I probably made it worse - attracting more rats to her feeder by feeding her sunflower seeds when I noticed she was getting thin- here I thought it was just that she was more active and it was winter.  I am going to watch for a couple more weeks and if it appears that the problem is solved, I am going to start breeding the rabbits again.

Another remodel in progress

My oldest son has started work on the laundry room/ back entry. We are covering the walls with veneer and will stain it and add moldings to make it look like paneled walls. Trying to find some cabinets on CL to put up after that is complete.
Then we will start in on the kitchen, putting in a pantry and replacing the linoleum with ceramic tile and refinishing the cabinets with veneer and new solid wood doors. I already have the tile. This will be a huge job as some of the base floor has to be ripped out due to past water damage when my washing machine flooded the area.
Choosing paint colors for the main living areas now since I am able to get paint at a discount due to the discontinued paints we are taking off the shelves during the resets I have been doing. As Heather said the primer is now cured- after 9 yrs :)
Hoping to get all this done before spring is too far under way...as then we have to turn to outside projects and maintence.
 Our last remodel project we completed was my son's old room that we turned into a guest room.
This bedroom was trashed after my son moved out (I will not say which son to protect his dignity). He had attempted a redo before, but left the walls in poor condition, and painted over it anyhow with his choice of paint and ruined the carpeting I had gotten for the room. 

I had a freind from AUS coming to visit...but only had $250 to spend and little time. We stripped the walls where needed by hand and hand sanded the mounds he left, filling in where needed as well. Materials $10. I found wallpaper at a yard sale- talked them down to $5 for the box. That was my source for the rooms color and theme. Flooring was laminated tile that looked like wood parquet- Big Lots $60 total. Home Depot had a store going out of business- got the door for $25- used hardware from old door. Bed was free- my son's wife had hers still. Headboard , armoir (not seen in photos) and chair was from Freecycle. Table-already had. Curtain- shower curtain from goodwill that I sewed a seam on.  Bedding- down comforter, $25 on clearance, sheets $5 on clearance, toss pillows and pillow cover $3 Goodwill. Decorative items and lamp (shade found in someone's trash!)-$20 total at yard sales. Desk, $20 used. Rug- yard sale $10. I did have to special order another roll of wallpaper to finish which did not come in till after my freind arrived, that is why there is still a strip undone in the photo. That was $60. So total cost was $243.00...came in under what I had budgeted.

This day stunk!

So much for a good day. Tom's jeep went down during paper route, so went out and drove so he could finish, came home and decided to stay up while he slept as I had taken a nap earlier when Tom was sleeping and had to take him to work in a couple hours anyhow. Took him to work, wished him happy valentine's day then left to work one of my stores. On my way, I saw some guy was hung up on a snow bank and stopped to pull him out. I got my errands done, called Brandon to see if he could fix the jeep and picked up hay for the goats and came home to take nap for a few hours- really needed one by then as I could barely function. Got up and took dogs and Gizmo out, fed cats and Steven called to tell me there was a bunch of chicken marked down in CC, so took off for there since I had to pick up another tote to put away Xmas stuff and drop money off for Austin anyways. Figured I would be fine as long as I made it to pick up Tom by 8:30...but on my way to Ft Wayne, Tom called and asked where I was at 8:20 as he was done already (normally he is not out till 8:30). I told him and he screamed at me. When I got there he couldn't understand why I was mad, yelled some more about me being late, called me self centered and complained that he would only get a few hours of sleep now and that he had planned on getting my valentine's gift (after he told me yesterday he was not getting me anything till wed) and it was too late now. Ran through a drive thru so he could grab a bite to eat, stopped for gas, came home and got the pellet stove going. At least it is not real cold tonight. I need to get my work reported and see if the jeep gets fixed tonight before I lay down so I know if I need to set my alarm to get up to take Tom to the jeep at 1 am, as if I oversleep he will just be mad at me for not waking him up. I hope Brandon can fix it tonight as I have to do an overnight reset on the south side of Ft Wayne tomorrow and not sure how I will swing that and be able to get paper route done too. If Tom drops me off and I get done early, I really don't want to hang around at Walmart in that part of town for several hours- its not a safe side of town. At least I should be able to get some sleep tomorrow if I have Tom take the truck to work, I can put off doing a store I had planned till later in the week.

The weekend!

Not a lot to write about today. The week was very busy with work- put in 49 hours this week with 3 overnight resets.  Coming week looks a little better at this time- but that could change. icked up some clothes this week since they had such a good clearance at Walmart. Spent about $3 each for sweaters, tops and leggings...so for under $20 got 3 outfits! Also picked up some clearance paint, so far have enough to repaint the kennel building and at least one coop- if not both for $25. Still need lots more white paint, so will keep looking for the mark downs.
Took back the JRT today to the previous owner as he was not working out here. She was happy to see him and going to try talking to her landlord again to see if she can keep him. Took down alot of the xmas decorations and put them away- still have some lights on the house and a couple trees, but will get those tommorrow when it is even warmer.   Spending the rest of today relaxing with the dogs until paper route tonight. Tomorrow I will get the house cleaning done.  The bunny that was attacked is looking much better. She is back to being alert, eating good and her ears are healing well. If it is warm enough next week, I think she will be ready to go back out to the rabbitry.  Its nice and quiet with the JRT gone- except for Gizmo calling for his dinner.

Brrrr!

Going to be a cold one tonight...they are saying it could get down to -20 degrees F. with wind chill! Making sure everyone has a deep bed of straw or shavings, put tarps up on the outside sections of the rabbit cages, will lock the chickens and dogs in tonight...now wondering if the goats will be warm enough in solid stalls with deep bedding.  Posting on goat board to find answer.
Ideal finally called me today! Chicks and ducklings will ship 4/27...I think that will be a good time.///will be warm enough to put them in the coop once they feather out. Going to pick up some EE chicks from a freind this weekend....have a feeling they will be in the house for a while LOL
Looks like the calves I am getting will be born in the next week or 2...hoping it warms up enough that they don't get chilled on the trip home.  Need to get something built for my pickup so I can haul them home.

The nubian does were bred 2 weeks ago...going to wait one more week to see if they took or not then they will come home.  Should have kids end of June :)  Here is a photo of all of them this summer.

And here is Peyton (grandson) with Fayline (front) and Fawn. These two girl love him...they come up and nuzzle with him -when they don't have hay in front of thier face LOL

Gun, ratting dog or peppermint?

What is the most effective rodent control? I am so sick of rodents in my coops/rabbitry! I thought they were finally gone as I had not seen any signs of them for a few months...then this happens! Something (I am assuming a rat due to the droppings in the J feeder) attacked one of my french lop does....no attack is too gentle of a word...mutilated! She is now missing half of her ears! Fortunately, she is still eating and drinking so very hopeful she will make it.
Wishing I had a .22...I would sit down there in wait for the vile bastards to show thier faces and blow them away! I got a JRT on a trial basis hoping he would help patrol the coops, but he does not seem to have the drive to even play fetch and with my work schedule lately he is not getting enough exercise...so was planning on returning him next week. I am going to take him for walks down there though and give him a chance to see a rodent and respond. Last night Steven took him down, but no rodents were seen. I am hearing that the esstial oil of peppermint will repel rodents. I am going to do more research tonight and if I see alot of people saying it has worked for them, will try it.  Meanwhile, I am going to try setting a trash can trap plus go the feed store and picking up some one bite bait again. I hate to use it as I saw a stray cat grab a dying rat once in one of my chicken runs and the cat died...and I have a couple ferals hanging around here...but I can't have my rabbits being eaten alive!

Thinking spring!

With all this snow and the blizzard, I am dreaming of spring. I am on the waiting list for my salmon favorelle chicks as well as replacements for the rouen ducks (thanks to the raccoon that wiped out all of them) and a few other chicks to round out our breeding trios. I have been combing through seed catalogs and starting to plan for the garden. I am planning on making a green house out of plastic 2 liter bottles and some glass panels I picked up last summer. If all works out I will be able to extend our supply of fresh veggies and cut our food bill even more! Here is a link that gave me the idea for this. http://www.tenbees.co.uk/article/recycling/20071126134017/Plastic-Bottle-Greenhouse-at-Mayfield-Primary.htm
Now to see if I can collect enough plastic bottles to get it done this spring! I posted on all the freecycle groups in my area, so hopefully will find a few families that are avid pop drinkers since we only go through a couple bottles a week :)
We also need to finish up the goat barn. For those of you who don't know, we built it primarily out of used materials- the lumber and windows were all recycled. I still need to buy the sheathing as I have not found any available on CL or other places, but lining the inside walls with palletes and building stalls out of them as well, got us by for the winter.  I will be adding the new nest boxes made out of pallettes as well in the chicken /turkey coops this spring. I am still looking for more used rabbit cages so the "Rabbit Hilton" as Tom calls it can be completed.  We may have to build a pallette run in shed to shelter the calves I am getting in a few weeks, but for now they will be comfy in the goat barn. The focus this year will be on finishing projects that we did not complete last year...the electric fence needs to go up, the goat barn sheathed, the garden ponds that I got for free installed...as well as maintence that sorely needs done. Painting the shed and coops decks and fences and putting shingles on the house. We need to have a really good garden this year as we are almost through our stockpile of canned goods from 2 yrs ago. The chickens have been doing thier job fertilizing the garden area and we will till in the compost from the compost pile and the spring clean out from coops and rabbits and goats. When we do that we don't have to buy any fertilizer. The chickens are good at controling garden pests as well- if we can remember to plant to the cucumbers and melons and squashes on the side of the fence that borders thier run.  We forgot that last year and lost most of those crops. Guess I better write out the garden plan soon so I don't forget!
Hoping the nubians will be bred soon- they have been visiting thier BF for a couple weeks now. I should call and check tommorrow.

Gizmo (the PB pig) goes to get his hoofs trimmed this morning. Tom is worried that he will think he has abandioned him since he has to be dropped off and then picked up afterwards (they put him under to trim hooves). I think if Tom just waves a french fry in front of his face when he picks him up- he will forget all about it LOL

My New Blog!

I decided it was time to make this a reality as I have been sitting on this for over a year. Someone told me they wondered what the point of blogs were as who wants to know about what your doing unless your famous? That may be, but I decided it would be nice to have a record of all we accomplished each year, my thoughts, our trials and tribulations and such to look back on. So here it is.