Remodel begins!

Tom started on ripping out the guest bath today. Here are a couple before photos...hard to get a good shot as I can't step far enough a way to get a full photo the way the room is configured. I had to wait until Tom removed the door to get these. I was going to take a photo with the shower curtain open but it looked too bad with hard water stains...trust me- tub has had it- crack in bottom and what used to be white is now rust brown as even lime-away would not take it out.

We are enlarging the room...kicking a section out into the hallway, so the toilet will have its own alcove.

Austin also worked on "Rabbit Hotel 2" today. Looks like I need to pick up a couple more cages for the outside. It will be like Rabbit Hotel 2- one cage inside building and one cage outside under a roof in 2 rows. The inside cages have lids that lift up. The outside cages have doors. The only differences between the 2 is the first one has nest boxes built in and solid bottomed inside cages for momma's to have thier babies whereas the second building has wire bottomed cages inside and out and no nest boxes- these are for unbred and growing rabbits. Of course in this building the trays sit on top of the bottom row of cages, though I am considering putting in a shelf for the trays to rest on just so it looks neater. I may add doors to the bottom row of cages at some point as it is a pain to remove trays to get a rabbit out. But all in all the set up works out well. The rabbits have lots of space, can get fresh air, the building stays ventilated, they can warm up inside and the feeders and water bottles are inside, making chores easier. It also made great use of unused wall space and the chickens keep the droppings stirred up looking for worms and such so no odor.  My only issue has been that I HAVE to keep feeders covered as the chickens and turkeys will eat the rabbit food if they can get to it. I may add a hinged panel on the top cages as well so the chickens stop roosting and pooping on the upper lids. Trying to think of a way to do that without making it hard to get the lids open to get a rabbit out.

Great tip for herbs!

I am doing an herb garden again this year. I just found this info and thought -how quick and easy can it get?

 Use and Safely Store Fresh HerbsBy buying fresh herbs in bulk (or using your own at the end of the season)  and drying them on your own in the microwave ensures you'll have herbs on hand for quick and easy meal prep. Simply wrap the herbs in a paper towel, heat on high for 1-2 minutes until herbs are dry and brittle, and then crush and store them in Ziploc bags or canning jar.

Lovely birds!

I went and picked up the Salmon Favorelle's today...after going 10 miles out of my way thanks to google maps taking me west instead of east! The birds are lovely and sweet...though were not very sweet after a trip in a crate for an hour in the rain. They were madder than a wet hen! Hopefully they will be in better spirits come morning. The people I picked them up from had a nice little set up with large individual pens for each breed of chicken they had (silkies, blue orphington's, RIR's and EE's) and a couple pens of Rouen and Pekin ducks. They also had pygmy goats- a few that are ready to kid soon and a new breed of pig I had never heard of...Guinea hogs. They are about the size of a pot belly pig but longer. They are very sweet. I am thinking they would make an ideal pig for the homestead due to thier size and temperament and the fact that they don't eat much grain. I looked them up when I got home and it appears they got to be about 200 lbs (though the people said up to 300) and dress out with 50% of weight of meat and fat. They are not cheap, but I suppose that you would make the money back within a couple litters with selling some of the babies....and the babies are just so darned cute!  I will post photos of the salmon favs on Sunday- my next day off. I have 30 more hours scheduled this week on top of the 20 I already have in.
I got a reply back from Porter's Turkeys. Forst email said they did not allow pick ups, but after a few emails, he did agree to let me order and pick up in the driveway. So I am now on the waiting list for blue palms and royal palms :)
I managed to get 2 dogs groomed today before I left to gett he birds, but I cannot find my nail clippers...again. Autumn REALLY needs her nails done. I was grooming and wishing the dogs would grow thier coats back (they dropped coats late), but then thought- no better they wait till the muddy spring is over.
My lettuce seeds have sprouted already! I am planting more spinach per Tom's request as he doesn't think that 6 is enough....he may be right- he LOVES spinach.
Tom was asking about Buster, if he would be ok with the kids that are due soon as he is getting rather boisterous with the other goats. I think it will be fine for a little while- they will be in the kidding stall for a couple weeks and after that, the momma's should protect them. Though we do need to get a pen put up for him and Loki before the girls come into season again.

Ready for spring!

I got a call that the chicks I asked Ideal to notify me about when they were ready will be ready on the first. I was driving and could not give credit card info though. Came home and was looking through Craig's List and found someone who has a trio adult Salmon Favorelle's for sale. Got the call tonight that they actually have a quad! So tomorrow I will drive out and pick up the 3 hens and roo. Also found someone who is selling the extra BB bronze turkeys they ordered but is not hatched yet. I told them I would take a few, then got to thinking about where they are ordering from and found that they have Royal Palms. Called them back and asked if they could add on some and I would pay difference (save me from having to order 15 of them). Then I found out that Porter Turkey's is only an hour away...and the place that has the BB's is only 15 mins from there and right on the way....so  emailed them to see if they allow pick ups and if they will sell smaller numbers that way and if they have any hatching soon.  If so, I can get Blue Palms!  If so, I will tell the guy, no worries about the Palms and just dash on up to Porter's and pick up some of both. Now I need to call back Ideal and finish my order and tell them to take off the Salmon Favs, though I may have to order more to cover cost...but if they have RIR's available, my friend Michelle said she wants some, so will add those on instead.
I got the lettuce, spinach, peppers, brussel sprouts and broccoli seeds planted. Going to get what will hopefully be the last load of firewood for the season tomorrow. Also going to try to get some dogs groomed.
I am going to have Austin work on finishing "rabbit hotel" so that I can start getting rabbits bred again. I need to get the does thier vaccines tomorrow as they are due to kid in 3 weeks and get the stalls ready. Even though we got a couple of inches of snow very early this morning, it was 40 today and it all melted....I can smell spring! My daffodils and hycyniths are sprouting and there is something with wide leaves coming up under the tree in the mixed bulb garden. Tom thinks iris's but I don't see any in the other beds popping...so I am thinking tulips maybe. I just hope the trees hold off budding..especially the fruit trees....I want peaches this year!

Winter will be over soon!

We have made it through most of this winter with not much going on except for painting the parlor and the usual holiday celebrations- with just one little hitch...we could not find our angel. Now I know many of you will think- oh it's just a tree topper- get another, but she was not JUST a tree topper. Miss Angel has been with my family for many years. She has watched many a gift get opened, she has been the first angel my youngest son and neice got to place on the tree, she has been there for 16 yrs celebrating with us. Our family is rather fond of her to say the least- even Tom got upset when she came up missing and he is not normally sentimental.  She was eventually found (in a closet that my Austin said he knew for a fact she could not be there) and took her place in time for Christmas.

We went and picked out a pre-cut tree this year, not something we usually do, but I was working lots of overtime, so it was all we had time for. Tom and I met at a stand by his work and we found the perfect tree after walking through and discounting trees one by one. The light shone down from Heaven on this tree and we knew it was it :) Austin and I decorated it this year and I think it is the best tree we have done to date.

We did not have time to get the Christmas village up this year, but I did add a couple new houses to the collection. Hopefully next year, I will have enough time to decorate to the extent I normally do.

The rest of the winter has mostly been chores, cleaning and cooking. The woodstove we put in this fall has served us well. We have cut our heating cost dramatically! Here is a photo of it- an old Fisher stove after my son finished installing the tile work and we got it in place. Of course the pipe was added after the photo was taken and the mess cleaned up.

I did prepare for the guest bath remodel. I have all the materials now except for maybe a couple pipes and fittings. The claw foot tub was taken to get sandblasted and painted and is sitting in the hall waiting to take its place. Austin will be starting on that next week. I also bought an electric fireplace for my bedroom. The master bedroom is going to be the last room to get redone, but I fell in love with the fireplace and it will heat the room in the winter and provide some ambience for romantic evenings in the other months with the heat turned off.  But our time of relaxing in the evenings will soon be coming to a close. Spring is on it's way!

We are starting some of the seeds this week and we have already planned the garden and our gardening calendar. Faline and Billy Jean (the goats) are due next month. Sadly, we lost Fawn this winter when she choked on her feed.  I do hope to get at least a couple doelings to expand the herd. Faline looks pretty big. Wondering if she may have triplets. I will be milking this time, so another project we need to get done is the milking stand. I can't wait to make homemade yogurt and cheese! I am also starting to study the chick catalogs. We lost quite a few chickens this fall to predators. That meant a lower feed bill for the winter, but now I will have to replace some. I have decided not to buy more cochins. I still have a gold laced trio I will keep, but that will be it for them. I find the Brahmas and Easter eggers are much hardier and do well over winter. I do want to try the Salmon Favorelles again, even though they appear to be a delicacy to predators. I think they will be wonderful all purpose birds if I can keep them safe. I will also get some Royal Palm poults and try those again (another predator fav when young). We are good on ducks and Bourbon reds so will not be ordering any of those.

One big project we have planned this year...setting up a large pond. My friend moved to Florida and she said I could have her pond if I wanted to take it. Austin, Chris, some of his freinds and I worked for several weeks moving everything back here. Brutus really got a work out! I hope I can make it look half as good as she did.  Here is a photo of it as it was at her home. Yes, we got the bridge and the deck and arbors too. Only thing we did not get was the trees and about 5 large boulders. I need to find out where my septic feild starts and ends before we decide where it is going. Ideally I want it off the back deck, but if that is not possible, I am OK with it being out front too.