Our Adorable "little" Pullet!

Hello, all!
We certainly hope life is treating all of you well.

I just had to stop a moment and share with you about one of the new little pullets we got this spring. She is so amazing already and we just absolutely adore her!  We had been looking for some Welsummer chickens to add to our flock. We only wanted a few so we were hoping to find them locally and not have to order them. We kept close watch on the local farm stores, just missed them a time or two (sold out just before we got there), then one day Dave finally walked into the farm store at just the right moment and got us a few!

The catch was, though, that that store will only sell you a minimum of 6 chicks. You can't purchase just 2 or 3. . . . you have to buy at least 6 or more. You also can't look them over to try and "sex" them yourself or look them over up close for the best quality chicks, it is just luck of the draw (more on my opinions of that in a future post). The biggest problem with all of this that day was that they only had 5 Welsummer chicks! In order to get those 5 Welsummer chicks, Dave had to add in one more chick of some kind because the minimum purchase was 6 chicks. David told them to toss in one of the white ones and back home he came with the little box of cheepers.

Now, here we are about 4 months later, and that little white chick that we had to get so that we could get the ones that we actually wanted, has turned out to be a MONSTER pullet! She is now bigger than our 1-year old Black Jersey Giant rooster! Even better . . . . she is already LAYING EGGS! ! ! ! Her eggs are still pretty small, but they are quickly increasing in size and she is already laying EVERY day! Several times she has even laid two eggs in a day.  Just amazing! She is just a bit ornery, follows Dave around like a little puppy dog, but is just as gentle and sweet as she can be.

She and that Black Jersey Giant are totally in love and already breeding. We can hardly wait to incubate some of the eggs when they get a bit bigger and see what the chicks turn out to be like. This could get very interesting.

Well, I just wanted to share this with you. She is still growing so stay tuned for future updates and pictures. Thanks for reading and have a fantastic and safe weekend!

(Anna posting)

Aaaaannnnddd We are BACK! ! ! ! ! . . . . again.

Howdy, everybody! ! ! ! It has been a very long time since we have been able to make posts on this blog and interact with everyone here in Blogger land. We have missed you all soooooo much!

For a long time my computers were down..... and/or I was packing, moving ... or just in a deep depression because I was illegally losing my house and property and everyone involved were total, hateful, spiteful idiots. I also had some long periods of sick spells and exhaustion.

Dave, too, had some seriously long sick spells, has been exhausted from trying to keep up with work, his farm, moving my farm, and helping me fight all the stupid battles that came with it. Then along the way, part of his computer died, also, which made being on here more than a few minutes pretty much impossible.

We finally have one good running computer, now ... AND .... I am finally HERE! I am FINALLY, permanently, here at Dave's Farm, with most of my farm (Granny Annie's Farm) so we are finally, FINALLY, officially ... Two Farms One!

Things are pretty crazy here as we begin to sort through everything that was moved in such a hurry and build new housing/pens for any animals that may still be in temporary pens and/or have outgrown theirs, along with planting the garden, planting fruit trees and bushes, adding new varieties of livestock, and trying to get to building our little house (we are in a tent until then but it hasn't been bad at all) but we have so many things we want to share with you .... SO MANY blog posts dancing around in our heads .... that we will absolutely have to make some time to get back to posting on this blog and catching up on many of yours, now that this computer and Internet are finally working.

Again .... we are sooooo glad and excited to be back! And we truly look forward to catching up with everyone!
Have a FANTASTIC DAY! ! ! ! ! !

(DF) MIDNIGHT STROLL? Well, sort of (part 3)

Walking down the hill proved much less pleasant than going up had been.  Not only was it more painful going downhill, but the downhill side was much steeper.  With traffic coming from both directions, it was also necessary for me to move back and forth across lanes to avoid passing cars.  The road ditch was much deeper (and with steeper banks) than it had been on the uphill side.

Before I reached the bottom of the hill, I encountered another concern.  Cars coming to meet me, would swerve across the other lane, in an obvious attempt to run over me.  As I would jump off in the ditch and scramble up the bank to avoid them, the drivers would honk, shout obscenities, and laugh before swerving back into their own lane.  It seems they were quite enjoying their drive to work.  This happened several times within the next couple of miles.  Had I been slower or less alert, I have no doubt that I would have been hit.

Another mile and a half, with the stars fading into the gray light of dawn, I walked past a mobile home and was greeted by dogs.  Not your average happy to see a stranger type dogs.  These were large mix breed dogs, one coming out in front of me and the other behind, teeth bared and hackles up.  One was barking loudly while the other just kept creeping up and snarling.  The barking brought the lady of the house to the door with a gun.  Did she call off the dogs?  Did she offer to call someone for me?  Did she even have a kind word?  Absolutely none of the above.  Instead, she shined a very bright, red filtered spotlight on me, and asked what was going on.  I told her that my vehicle had broken down and I was trying to make it home.  Her reply was simple and to the point.  "Well, I guess you better just keep walking then", she stated in a very rude tone, and went back inside.  No, she did not call off the dogs before going inside, so I had to maneuver very carefully to get beyond their territory.

Another mile and it was daylight, and by now, I was in an area where most people know me.  Imagine my disapointment when I started seeing people I was acquainted with speed on past like I wasn't there.  Even my former brother in law was going the opposite direction.  He smiled, waved and drove on.  Did he bother to call any of my family and tell them I was walking?  Of course not.

At the corner which marked the point of only three miles remaining, an old man had stalled his little pickup.  He had been taking it to the shop to have the starter fixed and missed his turn.  In turning around, it had stalled and would have to be push started.  His friends were coming to help and would be there shortly, so we had a few minutes of conversation.  When his friends arrived, I helped them push his truck to start it.  He told them that I had been walking all night and could use a ride, but they completely blew it off.  So I walked on.

About a mile from home, and only about a hundred yards from the gravel road I was dreading with my now sore feet,  my little sister came around the curve to meet me.  I was not really expecting her to stop, since she has not been willing to speak to me in over a year, but she did stop.  Actually, she acted like there had never been any bad feelings between us and we had a good conversation.  Very strange.

Finally, being home was great, but still lots to do.  I hurried inside to call Anna, who had been expecting a call about an hour after I left her house, to let her know I made it back safely (our standard routine)  She had left two messages on my phone just in case my call didn't go through to her cell phone.  This happens often and she doesn't get my message until she dials my number.  The third message, as calm and sweet as the other two, was letting me know that she was hoping it was just my phone not working and hoping I would get a good night sleep.  However, something in the tone of her voice said she was terrified.  In the absence of information, the imagination can do terrible things.  I quickly called her to let her know what had happened, then went to care for the animals who had missed their evening feeding.

These things done, it was time to take the truck to Anna's, hook up to the trailer, and haul the Jeep home for repairs.  The hauling went well, and by the time evening chores had been done, I was ready to crash.  Considering the walk, the hauling and the fact that I hadn't slept in about forty hours, I wasn't really doing all that bad.  I knew I would be sore in the morning, but it was good to finally get horizontal for a few hours.  Yes, I was very sore in the morning, but surprisingly enough, my body handled that walk and sleep deprivation about as well as it did in similar circumstances about forty years ago (except for the ankle injury), and with a much better appreciation of the stars than I had had back then.

Several lessons were also learned, as follows: (keep in mind that there are others but these are what comes to mind)

1.     We have become too dependent on cell phones.  Everyone
        expects that you have called  and  have help coming.

2.      People are afraid to help strangers.  In fact, they seem afraid to
         slow down, as if expecting a rock through a windshield.

3.     There are now people out there who will make sport of trying to
        hit you with their car.

4.     If you are not in contact with your own personal support base,
        whether it be friends, family or some other support, you are ON
        YOUR OWN!!!

5.     A good star and meteor show is hard to beat, whatever the
        circumstances.

6.     Just because I am older, doesn't mean I am not just as tough.


I hope you have enjoyed my midnight stroll.  Thank you for reading.

UPDATE:  I was partially correct as to what happened to the Jeep.  When I pulled the head, I found that the head gasket was really badly blown.  However, I also found that one of the pistons has a large hole in it.  If you are like Anna and have no idea what that means, it simply means that the engine no longer works and must be rebuilt or replaced.  A lot more work and expense than expected, and much longer before we can afford the parts.

(DF) MIDNIGHT STROLL? Well, sort of (part 2)

Leaving the small town convenience store, and turning toward home, there was still hope of assistance.  The highway bypasses the town, but I still had to walk over a mile to be outside the jurisdiction of their law enforcement.  Many people call that stretch of highway a speed trap, and maybe it is, but whatever the case, I seldom drive that stretch without seeing at least one police car.  Not this time!!!!

That's right, in the time it took to walk the mile and a half to the edge of their jurisdiction, not one member of the local police force passed me.  On the other hand, within that mile and a half and the two miles to follow, three different ambulances passed me, apparently making transport runs (no lights or sirens).  I had hoped the local police would make their rounds and at least make a call for me.  Then I had hoped that at least one of the ambulance drivers would radio law enforcement to let them know there was a late night walker and an abandoned vehicle.  It seems that neither scenario was in the offing.

Not to be brought down by such trivial matters, I continued to walk.  A beautiful star filled night should not be wasted, and a meteor shower is always a rare treat.  My quiet walk and star gazing was only interrupted by the passing of cars, always accelerating and seldom moving to the other lane (this part of my walk was on a large divided highway).  A few miles down the road, I passed another convenience store that is the highlight of a small community at a major intersection.  There was no need stopping, since I already knew that they close at 10 pm, so I continued walking.

Another three miles and I reached the shortcut which connects the highway I was on with the next highway north.  The shortcut is actually a very highly traveled paved county road.  Narrow and only two lane, I would have to be careful of two way traffic, but at least for the moment, most of the cars were going my direction.  Were they more likely to stop than on the big highway?  IT SEEMS NOT!

By the time, I had reached the shortcut, I was beginning to get tired.  There had not been much rest for a few days, and the hour was truly getting late.  An old leg injury which had left a misalignment in my left ankle joint was beginning to ache a bit as well.  The fact that I had not walked more than a mile at any one time in quite a few years did not help much either.  Oh, but those beautiful stars, meteors and warm, gentle breeze.  Such a truly beautiful night for a stroll.  Slowly but steadily, I continued walking, stepping into the road ditch each time a car approached (this is a narrow road and the cars were not slowing down or changing lanes).

About four miles further along the shortcut, I could look to the east and see the morning star rising, telling me it would be daylight soon.  It would be a while yet, but it was coming.  With the approach of morning, I knew that the traffic would soon change.  The majority of cars would be coming to meet me instead of going my direction.  At this point, I was also approaching the bottom of about a two mile long hill.  Not really all that steep, but steadily up hill.  Fortunately, with the particular ankle problem I have, up slope is easier than down slope.  My hope was to reach the top of the hill before the direction of traffic changed, and I would worry about the steep slope down the other side when I got there.

With the morning star high in the sky, but still no daylight, I reached the top of the grade.  For the first time since leaving my Jeep behind, I stopped for a very short rest.  By this time, the pain in my left foot and ankle was significant, though not unbearable.  Traffic had changed to a good mix of directions and with only about ten miles to go, I prepared to start down the other side of the hill.  Yes, I was still enjoying the stars, and the meteor shower had intensified as dawn approached.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Thank you for reading, and please stay tuned for part 3.  There will be lots of excitement, frustration and lessons learned.

(DF) MIDNIGHT STROLL? Well, sort of (part 1)

As most of you know, Anna and I have been working frantically to get her moved and combine our farms.  Though it seems that everything is trying to prevent that move, we keep pushing on, day after day, and are making some progress.   This past Sunday (18 Oct), we decided that a little time away from the move was well overdue. We spent the evening relaxing a bit and enjoying time together.  Before leaving, I mentioned how nice it would be to have a nice midnight stroll and look at the stars.  Of course, we couldn't, because we both had animals to care for at our respective farms.

I began the 40 mile drive before midnight, already tired from not sleeping much the past couple of  nights.  Staying awake was not much of a concern with the windows down and the radio playing.  The Jeep was running beautifully and I would be home in less than an hour.  I did not, and I repeat DID NOT get home in under an hour.

About ten miles into the drive, the Jeep engine started pulling down then died.  I was thinking probably nothing serious (it had been a wonderful night to that point).  A quick look under the hood revealed a badly blown head gasket, and I mean BADLY blown.

My first thought was to pick up the cell and call for help.  There were several people who would gladly come pick me up.  NOT SO FAST!!!  My cell phone had fried a couple of days before and wasn't replaced yet.  Since calling for help was out of the question, I waited for a little while with the Jeep, flashers flashing, in hopes that someone would stop.   No such luck!

By this point, it was just a bit after midnight, and I didn't want to stay there all night.  About a mile down the road from where I was stranded, is a little town with a convenience store beside the highway.  I have never seen that store closed, day or night, though I have passed it many times.  I knew they would not have a pay phone (the semi official word being that there are no more payphones in this state), but maybe they would let me use the store phone to call.  So my beautiful star filled midnight stroll began.

With the sky so filled with stars, and a warm gentle breeze, the mile passed quickly.  The only thing unpleasant about the stroll was the passing cars which would obviously accelerate as soon as I came into the driver's view.  STRANGE!!!!!  Now, imagine my disappointment when I found the convenience store closed.  This left me with choices.  I could walk back to the Jeep and wait, walk back to Anna's place, or start walking toward my place (about 30 miles away).  The first two options include the word "back", and I have never been good at going backward.

Knowing that I was about 30 miles from home, and that I have not walked that far in quite a few years, I started walking.  Yes, I started the 30 mile walk.

While there is much more to the story, I don't want this post is getting too long.  Please stay tuned for part 2 which will be posted in the next couple of days.  Thank You for reading.

(DF) SALVAGING THE GARDEN

Back in early spring, I tilled up the garden added compost and tilled again.  It looked great!  I then planted potatoes, onions, carrots, beets, peas and green beans, all in their appropriate time.  Other wonderful veggies were to be planted very soon, as the early root crops began to grow. 

All was well and things were growing nicely, including weeds and grass (as always).  The rows had been tilled and weeded once, and almost ready for the next round, as new rows were laid off to be planted.  Sounds great and productive, doesn't it?  But not so fast!!!

This is about the time it started raining.  It rained, and rained, and rained yet more.  Soon, my lovely garden was standing in water, and remained so for some time.  During this time of standing in water, grass and weeds grew quite well.  By the time the soil was dry enough to walk across, grass was chest high and the green beans were ready to pick (actually, many had gone past their prime and rotted).

Between the rain, work, taking care of animals, trying to get Anna moved and dealing with some health issues (both mine and Anna's), there just wasn't time or energy to get the weeds out and start over.  All that was harvested was a small mess of peas and a couple of mediocre pickings of green beans.

!Now, fast forward to autumn !

A couple of weeks ago, with thoughts of removing the grass and weeds from the garden, I waded through the tangled mess a bit just to see if it would be better to cut it all down first or just wait until it died and burn it.  To my surprise, I found potato plants rising up among the tall grass,  Very nice potato plants, in fact.  With that in mind, I vowed to wait until I had a chance to dig a bit, hoping that there were actually potatoes on the other end of those plants.

Yesterday, 17 October, I took a little time to dig.  YES there are potatoes on the other end.  It is not a record crop of record size potatoes, but there are potatoes.  Now I have my work cut out for me.  It will be difficult working among the grass, or cutting the grass first (that decision is yet to be made), but it will certainly be worth the effort.
.

Now there is the question of carrots and such.  They will be a bit harder to locate but I must look.   It would be so nice to have homegrown carrots and potatoes from our garden in the stew.  Wish me luck, and if your garden was also taken over, you might want to check before you till.

GOVERNMENT REGULATION OF FOOD PRODUCERS

Today, 20 November 2013, it came to my attention that the federal government is putting new regulations into effect that will change food production in America.  The government agency in question is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  The law is known as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

This information came to me as an article in a weekly free publication that the local newspaper publishes and distributes in the area for the purpose of holding together advertising fliers.  Let me assure you that I do not put much stock in what the local newspaper has to say.  I worked at that paper a few years back and honestly don't trust them.  However, this article got my attention.

My first reaction was a mix of anger and panic.  This reaction quickly shifted to my normal distrust of the newspaper, and my tendency to go to the source of any rumor.  As soon as evening chores were finished, I went to the computer and searched "food safety modernization act".  My search led to the FDA website, more specifically, www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/default.htm.  I found that amendments are abundant further confusing the issue.  To try making some sense of the law and proposed rules, I clicked on "fact sheets" in the menu.  The fact sheets were helpful, though there is still plenty of room for confusion.

As with any federal law, there are a tremendous number of words, all in the vaguest  possible form of legalese, and very little usable information, all of which is open to interpretation.  I STRONGLY encourage you to search this law and read it carefully, if you are inclined to grow and sell veggies, even on a small scale.  It seems the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law by President Obama in January 2011 (though this is the first I had heard of it), giving the FDA more power to regulate food safety.  The rules, however appear to be still in the making.

Personally, I was shocked at the degree of control these proposed rules are expected to exert over how we grow food.  They deal with the quality of water for irrigation (including strict continuous testing of the water and treatment requirements if the water doesn't pass the test), when, how and what type of compost can be used as well as the sterility standards the compost must comply with, and even strict regulation of the plumbing requirements in farm buildings.  Also, it regulates how and when animals (wild and domestic) can be allowed in the growing area, which makes it far more difficult to use draft animals.  As a wildlife Biologist, I had to laugh at the concept of keeping wildlife away from the crop area.

On the surface, this doesn't seem to effect really small operations.  Upon closer examination, it becomes obvious that the rules will be phased in over a period of time to include even very small farms.

These new rules are being put in place in the name of "food safety".  I, like most people, am completely in favor of food safety.  That is why I read labels in the grocery store, wash and/or cook produce, and ask local growers how their produce is grown.  In short, the consumer should be informed and allowed to make their own decisions.  Keep in mind that the government agency making the rules in the name of food safety, is the FDA.  This is the same agency that continues to allow chemical food additives that are banned in most other countries and are well known to cause quite a number of major and even deadly illnesses including heart disease and cancer.  So what is the real reason for these new rules?

At the end of the day, this may change how things work here on Dave's farm.  In particular, the intended sales of surplus produce to help with the bills.  Fortunately, I was unable to find any reference to limiting me from growing what I eat or "giving" produce to friends and neighbors.  And if they choose to "give" me other things I need, that isn't regulated either.  At least not yet.

I strongly urge you to read this new law.  It is possible that you may interpret it differently than I did.  I also sincerely hope you will share your views with us on this situation.

(DF) BACK TO THE CORPORATE GRIND

After a couple of months holding down the couch, and a couple more in physical therapy, the doctors finally released me to return to work.  Saturday morning, I showed up at the large corporate retail store where I have been working, ready to start my first day back at work.  It took a little time, but they did manage to decide where they wanted me working for the time being, though I still don't have an actual schedule.

With my leave of absence properly applied for and approved, my employer was required to hold my position for up to twelve weeks.  Unfortunately, I was off much longer than twelve weeks.  My position has, as is standard procedure, been opened and filled, leaving me with a job at the company, but not the SAME job.  What this means in the real world of the vast here and now is simple.  I am working again, but at a lower wage, at least until I can transfer back into a higher level position.

Four months off work, especially in the summer, could have been a wonderful and productive event here on Dave's farm, had I been able to work during that time.  As it turned out, very little work was accomplished here on the farm (at least until the past couple of weeks).  At this point, I am back at the corporate grind at a lower pay scale, which leaves little time (especially with the shorter days of fall and winter) or money to make progress on the farm.

At the end of the day, I must honestly say that I am truly grateful to be physically able to work again.  The situation could have ended much less favorably.  My time off work has been quite an ordeal, but it is now time to start moving forward again, working to pay the bills and building toward mine and Anna's self sufficient life together, a life eventually free from the need for a paycheck from the  corporate world.

(DF) RECOVERY AND RECLAMATION

During the past couple of months, while I have been down with a bad foot, very little work has been done here on Dave's Farm.  Not only have things not progressed, nature has taken its course.  Un-mown lawns and un-worked gardens not only don't get better. they actually grow up. In this case, the grass has grown quite well and is now four to six feet high.

Yes, maintenance is right out the window here.  The worst of it is the garden.  It has been a perfect summer here for grass and it has really       gotten established.  In short, it has become a major reclamation project.
Reclamation has begun.  I am using a scythe to cut the tall grass, a little at a time as my recovery allows.  The work is very slow as I am still unable to walk well and can only stay on my feet for a short time before having to stop and rest awhile.  This process makes me feel a bit lazy and worthless, but I try not to say it too loud because Anna gets onto me for saying such things about myself.

Once the grass is cut and allowed to dry, it is being hauled in the wheelbarrow to the barn and stored for winter goat feed.  After the grass is hauled away from the garden, I am gradually tilling up the garden in preparation for planting a cover crop (probably winter peas this time).  When the garden is finished, the lawn can be reclaimed in the same manner, mowing the stubble when the tall grass has been removed.  A slow process, but a necessary one.

Reclamation and recovery will be slow.  The doctor told me last week that it will be at least two more months before I can return to my job, and from the way it feels, he is probably right.  I am having to move slow and only a little at a time, so it will take some time for both recovery and reclamation.

When I am finished with reclamation, I can then start catching up.  Thank goodness other things like building fence and farm buildings actually DO just sit there instead of having to be reclaimed. 

Wish me luck.

DAVE IS SICK (update)

Before I start, thanks so much for the thoughts and prayers.  We appreciate all of you so much.  I really missed the communication over the past couple of months. 

As Anna has already posted, I have been a bit under the weather for quite a while.  Of course, though I was unable to use it anyway, it has been frustrating not having computer access.  The computer and the foot broke down about the same time, you see.  Since Anna didn't go into detail, I will give a brief rundown as to the problem.

The story goes back to mid-June.  You may recall that I had started taking down an old barn on my brother's place for the material which we need for out buildings and such.  In mid-June, after delays with truck repairs, I was finally back to the demolition project.  The end of a productive day of suck work found me tired and with the last board of the day still attached by one small nail.  Did I do the sensible thing, take a few steps to get the hammer?  Of course not.  In true Dave-like fashion, I simply kicked it (just as I have done many times before with no ill effect).  This time there was a twinge of pain but not serious.

Next morning, it was more painful so I decided to take a couple of days off work and let it heal.  Two days later, I was in the emergency room with extreme swelling part way up my leg and lots of pain.  The bruising in the foot had led to cellulitis (aka infection in the soft tissue).  And yes there were a couple of chips and fractures, but nothing serious.

After a brief stay in the hospital, I went back to work, wearing a walking boot (most awkward, I might add) and using pain pills when it got too rough.  Things were going pretty well until the antibiotics ran out.

A few days later, I was back in the hospital, a longer stay this time, with osteomylitis (aka bone infection)  I got the standard informational pep talk that goes with this malady, which includes all the possibilities for treatment ranging from IV antibiotics to surgery to AMPUTATION or even death.  There is not much in this world that still frightens me but, if you must know, I was terrified at this point.  Not much of what I do in life works without feet.

So after a week or so, I was released from the hospital with a pic line for the antibiotics, instructions on how to use it and strict orders not to put any weight on that foot for at least six weeks.  Please understand that I don't normally take doctor's orders too seriously, but having known people with this problem for whom the outcome was not great, I followed carefully.

A week later, I was back in the hospital, this time with a particularly nasty intestinal infection caused by the antibiotics.  For this, they gave me lots of IV fluids and yet another antibiotic.  A was also ordered to eat lots of yogurt and avocados (an enjoyable prescription at least).

After a couple more trips to the emergency room and weekly trips for blood work, they finally let me start putting weight on my sore foot.  That was almost two weeks ago and I must say it feels good not to have to use a walker and hold my foot up, even though each step is still like walking on broken glass.  Pain is something I learned to deal with long ago but being extremely weak and out of shape is really hard to tolerate.  I just keep pushing to the limit and trying to be patient.  Yes, there is that word.  Patience is a virtue, unfortunately NOT one of mine, thank you very much.

Thursday, I go back to the doctor and hopefully, they will pull the pic line. I can hardly wait.

Poor Anna deserves a medal for all the worry and hard work she has endured through this ordeal.  Not only has she been working hard in the garden and trying to hold everything together,while constantly worrying about me, she has also had to put up with my bummed out attitude the whole time.  Even after all of that, she still loves me and is willing to put up with me.  WOW!!!!!

As for the internet, they came and installed it Saturday afternoon.  They told me it would be worth the wait, and for the first time, they told the truth.  It really is as fast as they said it would be.  Now if I can get to the point of having my foot down for more than a half hour at a time, I might get something done.

I best go prop the foot up again.  Thanks again for the prayers.

DAVE IS SICK

HELLO to all of our wonderful and beautiful readers! No, we didn't get lost and we didn't forget about any of you. You are on our minds a lot, in very good ways. And we have certainly been missing talking with all of you.

This will have to be brief for today, but I will do my best (no promises) to get back on here this week and give you a much better (and way longer) update. It has been so crazy around here, it will probably take quite a few posts.

Dave has been without Internet for awhile, now. His was getting to where it just wasn't working out there in his neck of the sticks, and a newer, much better Internet system is coming to his area. (Fiber Optics)  He applied well over a month ago to have it put in, and he is still waiting. They talked like they would put it right in, but you know how that goes. They keep saying that they will lay his lines when they work over his way, but nothing, yet.

At the moment, though, Dave is too sick to stay up long enough to use his Internet. He is making great improvements but still on a scary edge.  He has at least 3 more weeks of being bed bound and on an IV, and he is so weak! Just a few minutes of being up and he has to go back to sleep for awhile. And let me tell you, Dave is NOT one to be kept down! This has been so emotionally hard on him, as well. I am so relieved, though, to finally be hearing some strength coming back into his voice.

If you all don't mind, we could really use all of your prayers for Dave's healing that we can possibly get. Here is a hug and a BIG Thank you in advance!!

I will do my best to get back on here and give you all a much better update and explanation later this week. Right now, I need to get off of here and tend to our garden. Fortunately, we had planted most of it over here at Anna's Farm this year, and now, with absolutely no helpers, it is taking every minute I have to tend to it. Going to have to water tonight. It has rained everywhere in the area this week, except out here. But I will have to move slowly as it is still near 100 degrees this evening, with a heat index well over 100 F, and I got up today not feeling very well. I am still praying and hoping hard for rain before the evening is out. We are going to need the bounty of this garden more than ever this year.

Love and miss you all! Hope life has been treating you all very well.

(DF) SPRINGTIME BABIES.....JUST BARELY

Yes, it is springtime, though the weather calls the calendar a liar.  Fact is, whatever the weather is doing, the vernal equinox has passed making it officially springtime.  As circumstances would have it, the first day of spring was fairly nice here, with sunshine and a gentle breeze.  Be that as it may, we haven't had a nice day since.

With that in mind, it was really good timing.  My milk goat took advantage of the nice weather to have her babies, and with them being born on the vernal equinox, you can probably guess the name of the little billy..  This is the only milk goat I have ever owned or knew of who would not wait for cold or stormy weather.  So far she has always picked a nice afternoon to give birth, a trend that I hope continues and is passed on to the offspring.  This time, as usual, she had twins, one male and one female.  They are large and healthy, thriving well on all the milk they can drink (at least until they are penned up part of the time so I can have a share).

It is always encouraging to me to see springtime babies.  As with all the other beginnings of spring, it serves to re-affirm for me the natural cycles of life.  Simply put, it reminds me that the good things of life always come back around.  Soon wild foods and fruit blossoms will be popping up everywhere and the garden will be all fresh and new.  I can hardly wait.

(DF) COMPOSTING TOILET UPDATE!!

Before I get into the actual update, a little background might be in order.  Hopefully, this will bring those of you who haven't read my original post on the subject up to speed, while refreshing the memory of those who, like most of us, have plenty of other things to think of and may not fully remember.

The recently past summer was a hot, dry one here in the central U.S., including the part of Oklahoma where I live.  The near record drought led to increased water usage, which in turn led to decreased water availability in my two wells, making the need for conservation absolutely necessary.

Thinking of ways to save water reminded me of a book which a friend had recommended years ago, "The Humanure Handbook".  This particular work is an excellent source of information on the environmental hazards of conventional sewage systems, composting toilet systems, gray water systems and composting in general.  A must read, in my opinion.

I, being a natural born skeptic, decided to test the simplest of the composting toilet systems described.  Simply put, it consists of a bucket, seat and cover material (saw dust is preferred but I chose dry leaves).  The reason for this choice of cover material is because I live in the woods and leaves are always available.  Sawdust, on the other hand is not as readily available and isn't always free (remember, I AM a tightwad).

Deciding to do early testing outside, I used a portable camp toilet.  It is the type that consists of a bucket which sits in a slightly larger container with a seat and lid, and while being designed for use with a bag and chemicals, it served my purposes nicely.

A point to remember is that this was done in extreme summer heat.  If anything is going to stink and draw flies, it will be in summer heat, right?  Well, believe it or not, there was very little smell and to my amazement, the kitchen scrap bucket drew far more flies than the toilet.

When the bucket was dumped in the compost pile, it did smell bad, but only until covered with more leaves.  Within a couple of days, the composting process had produced temperatures high enough to kill any pathogens that might have been present.

I continued through the rest of the summer with this system, looking for some down side.  The only one I could find was the trips to the compost pile.  This would only be a down side if I wasn't already making those trips with kitchen scraps and such anyway.

By the time cold weather arrived, I had confirmed another up side in addition to water savings, environmental benefits and the prospect of rich compost for the garden.  The well pump kicks on every time the toilet is flushed, using electricity.  The savings on the electric bill was about nine dollars per month.  Nice bonus.

With cold weather, I made a plywood seat with a hole in it for an old dining chair and placed a five gallon bucket under it, and yes, I placed it in the bathroom beside the flush toilet.  Behind the bathroom door, I placed a garbage can full of leaves for use as cover material.  In an enclosed area, I fully expected the stench to be horrible and was prepared to remove the bathroom's new addition.  To my pleasant surprise. there was no more smell than with a flush toilet, and much of the smell is from the leaves (a smell I find pleasant).

With considerations of added high nutrient compost, and the savings of water and energy, it seems more than worthwhile.  Add to this savings the environmental benefits, and it seems to me a most excellent addition to our self-sufficient lifestyle.

Please let me know your thoughts, opinions and experiences.  Even with the best of things, there is room for improvement.

(DF) LARGE HUNGRY GARDEN PESTS: kinda like bugs only BIGGER!!!!!!!!

By the time I got back from Anna's place Tuesday, it was almost dark, giving just enough time to feed the animals, so I didn't check the garden.  Wednesday morning found me heading for work before daylight, so as soon as the time clock hit 3:00pm, I was headed home to check on the veggies.  What I found was disappointing to say the least.  Take a look at the picture of my beautiful sweet potato vines.  If you are asking what vines I am talking about, that is my point exactly.  They were eaten off to stumps.  They are still alive and quite capable of growing back, but it is a major setback to say the least.

When I planted the sweet potato slips, I knew there would be a bit of expected bug damage.  Even a bit of a run in with rabbits was expected (and dreaded).  This blatant attack hadn't crossed my mind, though it should have (I do live in the woods, after all).  Judging from the tracks in the second picture, the culprit was obviously a deer, a fair sized doe, judging from the track characteristics.  And this fine doe didn't stop at the sweet potatoes.  She thoroughly pruned the tall stalks of lambs quarters I had left in the garden for seed, nibbled at the onions and didn't help the carrot crop either.  She even taste tested the cucumber and pumpkin vines, though they apparently didn't taste that great, as they were mostly intact.

As I said, I should have expected this, but old habits die hard.  Deer are common enough here in my area now, but it wasn't always that way.  Growing up, the only deer I saw in this area were the ones my uncles would hang up at my grandparent's house after a hunt an hours drive away.  There just weren't deer in this area at that time, so nobody even thought to protect their garden from them.  It wasn't until I was a teenager that I saw my first wild deer in the area, and it was certainly an amazing spectacle.  With less hunting pressure over the past thirty years, and efforts (both official and unofficial) to re-introduce deer into the area, they have now become "large bugs in my garden"

My grandmother's consideration of planting three times as much garden as needed (one third for the weather, one third for the pests, and one third for the family) was certainly not calculating for hungry deer, so I will have to do something to prevent the loss.  Repellents are a possibility, though they have to be replaced after it rains, assuming it does that often enough to be an issue.  I am also a bit skeptical of repellents, as in the past, my best efforts in this area didn't keep the deer off my young fruit trees.  Noise makers only work until the deer get used to it, then they are simply ignored.  Looks like when I am building goat fence around the pasture, I may have to make a slightly taller version around the garden, to keep the cute little devils out.  This is just one example of how things have changed since I was a kid, and a reminder that we have to always be ready to adapt with the constant changes.

And of course, this fall, I will have to make an effort to get my veggies back in the form of venison.  More on that option later, I suppose.

(DF) SOLAR POWERED CHEESE: alternative energy at it's tastiest

As those of you who raise goats will no doubt agree, when the goat isn't giving milk, you wish she was, but when she is giving milk, there is often more than can be readily used.  This is where cheese comes in.  Making cheese isn't difficult, though some would say it requires close attention to details and precise monitoring of  temperature, and of course, a good cheese press.  I must say I agree with the consideration of temperature control  and I do enjoy a good press, at least I agree when it comes to making specific types of cheese.  Lets face it, if the temperature and method aren't correct, cheddar might turn out to be almost anything, though it would still be something resembling cheese.  The fact is that all that is required to make cheese (at least in theory) is milk, rennet to make it curd, and a source of heat to get it to the right temperature for the rennet to do its work.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your view, I tend to be more inclined to experiment than to follow a set procedure, though there is usually some thought of what the general goal is.  Sunday morning, the goal was simply to turn the five quarts of goat milk into something resembling cheese so it wouldn't become chicken feed. 

Another major factor for the day was time constraints.  Working overtime during the past week left me with one day off to catch up on all the work around the farm, and honestly, one day isn't even time enough to maintain what has already been done, much less make progress.  I know this post is getting a bit scattered at this point, but if you will bear with me, I will scatter it a bit farther before bringing it all together.

Solar energy seems to be a big topic right now, and I do plan to set up a solar electric system as soon as possible.  However, farmers have always used solar power.  Technically, green leaves are solar panels and roots, fruits, seeds and vegetation are the storage batteries that power life on the farm.  Solar power is also used for heat (some times a bit too much heat, in fact).

Now back to the cheese.  On this particular day, due to time constraints and work load, I needed it to be simple.  How simple?  Simple enough that it would do the work itself and leave me to planting yet more tomatoes, among other chores.  With that in mind, I took the five quarts of milk I had stored in the refrigerator, poured them in a stainless steel stock pot, added rennet and placed the pot on the pump slab in the sun to heat up.  My thought was that the sun would warm the milk, allowing the curds to set, and all I would have to do was squeeze out the whey, add a little salt and eat fresh cheese for supper.  Having never tried this method (or even knowing of anyone who had) my consideration was that if it didn't work out, the chickens would eat well.

Three hours later, when I stopped planting to cool off a bit, I found that the curds had set beautifully.  The curds were quickly cut, placed in a cloth lined drainer and most of the whey gently squeezed out.  A little natural salt was added and a bit more whey squeezed out.  As a side note, my hands are large and strong, making it hard for me not to squeeze out too much whey when making fresh cheese.  This time, however, I restrained myself and the result was the absolute best fresh cheese I have ever made, dry enough but not rubbery. 


You can bet in the future, I will be making use of solar power for cheese making on a regular basis, saving the fire for cold weather.

(DF) SNAKE!!!!!: an unwelcome guest in the hen nest

Before I get started, let me make it very clear that I do not really dislike snakes (at least in their own habitat).  I would also like to say that I am not an advocate for killing any creature (and yes that includes snakes, bugs and poison ivy) without a really good reason.  Considerations of scary or annoying or even dangerous don't qualify in my mind as good reasons.  For me personally, and each of us has the right and obligation to make such decisions for themselves, what qualifies as good reasons are few.  They include the need for food, an immediate threat to oneself or others, with others including not only other humans but any creature one is responsible for the survival of, such as domestic animals and pets that we have agreed to care for.  Sorry, that wasn't supposed to be a full essay, so now to what I was really saying.

Recently, I have noticed that the daily egg count has been less than stable.  Some days there will be six or seven and other days one or none at all, sometimes for a couple of days in a row.  With no sign of broken eggs or other evidence, my obvious suspicion was a snake.  My suspicions were right, and Sunday afternoon I surprised a large black rat snake (commonly known in this area as a chicken snake) in the hen nest, with bulges to show two eggs already swallowed and another on the way.  The nests have doors that open into the blacksmith shop so I don't have to open the chicken pen to gather eggs, making the variety of implements for dispatching the intruder somewhat considerable.  In seconds, the snake was dead and laying beside the path, still dripping egg from its mouth.

As I have already stated, there has to be a good reason for me to kill anything, and to kill one of these non-poisonous snakes is a particularly shameful loss around the farm.  Normally, their main food source is rats and mice, which everyone wants to keep under control for obvious reasons.  However, once they get started eating eggs, they don't stop.  And why should they?   Snakes aren't stupid and an egg is a wonderful source of protein, with the added benefit that it does not try to run away or put up a fight.  This is where the reason for killing the snake comes in.  Eggs are the reason for having the chickens in the first place and a threat to someone's food is a potential threat to that person because it takes away that nutrition.  As an added factor, if there are chicks present, they are just another snack to the hungry snake, and a large one like this particular individual of about five feet long can kill a full grown hen.

Yes, the good reason was really there, but such a total waste of a misguided predator.  Or was it a total waste?  I remember quite well how much my grandmother loved her chickens and how much she hated anything that was a threat to them.  She hated snakes in particular and would kill everyone she saw, no matter what kind.  She also believed it was a terrible sin to waste anything, even a dead snake.  To keep this sinful waste from happening, she would bury any snake she killed (or anything else that invaded her chicken house for that matter) in the garden.  Partly as a result of this practice, her garden soil was very rich and productive.  With that in mind, the snake in question is now in the compost pile under manure and bedding from the goat stall, where it will enrich the soil for next year's garden.  And egg production should be a bit more stable, at least until that blasted squirrel finds a way to get in the chicken pen, but that is another story.

(DF) SWEET POTATOES IN THE GARDEN: FINALLY!!

On May first, Anna talked in the "Tightwad Tuesday" post about starting sweet potato slips from sweet potatoes purchased on sale earlier in the year.  A few days before she had discovered that there were a few sprouting. Anna found one sweet potato she had forgotten about from the year before.  It was starting to sprout so she gave it to me to start slips from.  I promptly buried it in a pot of compost and proceeded to keep it watered.  Sure enough, there were soon leaves popping up in the pot.

As the next few weeks passed, the growth in the pot became very nice and it was soon time to plant them out.  Saturday was the most likely time for me to get time to plant, but I took the opportunity earlier in the week to dig up a bed in the garden, which I believed would be enough space for the amount of slips from one sweet potato.

Saturday came and I eagerly dug compost into the bed in preparation for planting.  With great anticipation, I removed the slips, compost, potato and all, from the pot.  I knew there were some roots (quite honestly, I had peaked a little) but was not at all prepared for what I saw.  Roots had filled the pot almost to the point of being root bound.

I have started sweet potato slips in the past, by burying the potato in dirt, in sand and by submerging the sprouting end in water, and all of these methods worked well.  This was the first time I had used straight compost, and the resulting root mass was far more than I expected.  You can bet I will be using compost to start slips from now on.

That one sweet potato produced a full dozen lovely plants which gave me no choice but to dig up another bed to accommodate.  If the age of the original sweet potato means anything, these slips should produce some real keepers which can potentially keep us in slips for years to come.  Now we will see how well they produce.

TIGHTWAD TUESDAY - Better than cheap lawnmower

Here on dave's farm, a lawnmower is not an absolute necessity, since I can simply cut the tall grass for the goats.  However, there are plenty of snakes, ticks and rodents that are much more likely to come close to the house if the grass is tall, making a lawnmower nice to have.  Every garden center and farm store in the known universe sells a variety of mowers at what is considered a reasonable price, so this should be no problem.  But it is a problem!!  The problems are very simple, the first being what is considered a reasonable price and the second being that I am such a tightwad.  But there is a solution, and remember, cheap is good, free is better.

The solution here is obviously a cheap lawnmower, or better yet, a free one.  It just so happened that I noticed last summer that there was a decent looking mower setting in the shop where I help out at times.  It was in the corner, behind a couple of old engine blocks and was completely covered in dust, yes, it looked like it had been there for awhile.  I asked if it would run and if it might be for sale.  Turns out that a customer had left it to be worked on almost two years earlier, but the price of the carburetor that was needed for it to run right was about $50 plus labor.  The customer had not confirmed the work but had not picked up the mower either.

Though the sign above the shop door leaves no doubt that anything left over 60 days becomes property of the shop, the owner said he would call the customer to see if he would sell it.  Calls were made but not answered over the next month or two, and the calls were not returned.  After a couple of months, the shop owner got frustrated and told me if I wanted to try and get it running, I could have it, but I had to work on it somewhere else as he was tired of thinking about it.

Within minutes, the mower was in the back of my old Chevy and on its way to a new home.  Later that evening, it fired up, though it did not run well and no gas seemed to get through the carburetor.  Next day, with the help of some carburetor cleaner, a can of gas treatment and a bit of work, it was running well enough to mow the lawn, or at least the part that was short enough to mow at that time.  It still didn't run right but I hadn't dropped a couple of hundred dollars either.  I used it for the rest of the summer, and parked it for the winter.

This spring, it fired up and ran well enough to mow once again, though still not good.  Halfway through the first mowing, it died.  No gas was getting to the engine.  Off came the carburetor and once in pieces on the tailgate of the truck, it was obvious that there was a problem with a small rubber piece inside (needle valve seat, to give it a name).  Not something I generally have laying around, but it did not take me long to break out the trusty exacto knife and make one from part of an old tire.  In a very short time, it was running quite well, not like new but close.

Don't get me wrong, it is not a new mower and not maintenance free (as evidenced by the fact that the starter rope broke later when I tried to start it again).  When you consider that a comparable mower sells new for just over $200, that even with the rope I only have about $10 in this one which will do the job, and that I am just too tight to turn loose of the new price for something that is nice to have but not necessary, it is a pretty good deal.

It is also worthy of note that with the price of used mowers in this area running in the $75 and under range and the price of parts and labor for even minor problems being pretty high, it could be worth checking the local shops from time to time.  If you have a little knowledge of small engine repair and a few tools, the repairs might not be so bad.  And you too could have a "cheap or better" lawnmower.

(DF) GETTING WHAT YOU PAID FOR? REALLY??

As the old saying goes, "you get what you pay for".  But do you really?  Is it always as advertised?  Not likely, at least not always.  There are many things that are not exactly as they appear or are advertised, and in many cases (unless we are very observant and read the labels carefully) we may not even know that we paid for something we didn't get.  It happens all the time with food labels, phone service, clothing and at least a bazillion other things that don't come so readily to mind.  But what about things more simple and straightforward, like garden plants?

Have you ever bought a tomato plant and found that it was really a pepper plant instead?  Me nither, but they look enough different that it would be hard to mistake one for the other.  What about one variety of tomato or pepper that turned out to be another?  This is something that could happen often and in most cases, most people would not be sure of the mistake.

Look carefully at the photos.  You will notice that the tomato is small and red, some variety of cherry tomato to be more precise.  Anna purchased this plant which was clearly labeled as a "Lemon Boy", and had a nice picture of medium yellow tomatoes on the vine.  The tomatoes it is producing are certainly not "Lemon Boy", or anything close.  The pepper plant is one I bought.  You might think it is a bell pepper, judging from the shape of the peppers.  In reality, the peppers are smaller than bell peppers and, though still green, they are obviously hot.  They appear to be a variety called "Cajun Bell", but whatever they are, they are absolutely not the "Cayenne" that they were clearly labeled to be, complete with pictures of beautiful "Cayenne" peppers.

If the tomato had been a different yellow variety than the one labeled, would we have known?  If the pepper had been similar to what was expected, would we have made the connection?  The answer is, probably not.  While surprises can sometimes be good, this disturbs me.  Not only because the varieties are different than advertised (in fact, I feel it is always good to try different varieties) but more because of how such little "mistakes" could be used.

Now to my main point.  It is no secret that the seed companies (among other entities) are always pushing their hybrid seeds, and would like nothing more than for the open pollinated, heirloom varieties to disappear.  It is also no secret that they are constantly developing genetically modified varieties and trying to push them on the consumer.  My question is simple.  At some point, how much trouble would it be to simply substitute a hybrid or genetically modified variety with similar characteristics to the one you think you are purchasing?  The frightening answer is that it would be quite easy to do, very hard to prove and a big chunk of the population would not know the difference for at least a year, and only then, if they saved seeds and planted them the next spring.  This would solve the seed company problem and our problems would begin in earnest.  The really scary part is that if someone like me could think of it, we can't expect that they haven't thought of it too.

I don't think of myself as paranoid, and I am certainly not trying to say that anyone is "out to get us".  The fact is simply that they are looking at the bottom line and if we save our own seeds, they can't sell theirs to us.  This gives me more incentive to grow heirloom varieties and save seeds.  I strongly encourage everyone else to do the same, if for no reason other than keeping the old varieties that our grandparents and great grandparents grew, from being lost forever.  Once you have saved those seeds, I encourage everyone to in some way, share them with others, whether it be giving a few to the neighbor down the road, swapping those you have for those you want, or selling your surplus to those who are having trouble finding them.

If you have purchased plants or seeds that are not what you expected, have fun with the surprise and we would love to hear the stories.  If you have heirloom varieties, we would also love to hear about the ones you enjoy. 

(DF) SPIDERS IN THE GARDEN ....natural pest control at it's finest

As you may have noticed from other posts, I REALLY don't like pesticides.  There are many reasons for my thoughts and feelings on this subject, but a deep appreciation of bugs eating my garden is certainly not one of them.  In fact, I find few things more disappointing than going to the garden and finding my beautiful veggies chewed up by bugs.  With that said, bugs are still more welcome than poison.  I will go deeper into my reasons in a future post, but for now, please trust that there are serious reasons.                                                                                                              
With the consideration of catching and smashing each and every one of the nasty little creatures by hand being less than practical, if not totally impossible, some help is needed.  This is where the spiders come in.  Yes, I did say SPIDERS. Spiders are wonderful creatures, which, with few exceptions, are harmless to humans.  They do, however, spend their lives eating relative large numbers of insects ....... insects that are not necessarily welcome guests in the garden.  Granted, spiders can't eat all the bugs that come into the garden, and they do also eat some of the beneficial insects that we would like to see more of. When you consider that pesticides don't quite kill all the bad bugs and the good ones are generally more susceptible to toxins than the pests, the spiders are certainly no worse.

Pesticides have not been used in my garden since long before I bought the place, and in the absence of toxins, bugs thrived.  At least they thrived at first.  With an ample food source, spiders soon began to come into the area.  These spiders are among a group known as wolf spiders because of their behavior of stalking their prey rather than trapping it in a web (they are also known as grass spiders).  After a few years without toxins and with the presence of plenty of food, the population of a couple of the smaller species of these spiders exploded.  As a direct result, the population of insects in the garden dropped.

The spiders in question come in several sizes ranging from a leg span of smaller than a dime to larger than the average tarantula and with a bit of color variation.  Most of the ones in my garden are small, the size of a dime or slightly larger and light colored (as shown in the picture above), though some are the darker variety.  They are seldom seen and are in fact a little hard to find during the day, but at night they are out in force.  To shine a bright flashlight on my garden at night reveals many pinpoints of light reflected from their eyes, showing that the night crew are on the job, taking care of the unwanted pests.

Thanks to these hungry predators, a garden at Daves farm is possible, and without killing off all the other creatures that are more welcome (or better yet, important to production).  Unlike pesticides, they don't kill off all the pollinators such as bees.  As evidenced by the other two pics, they also leave some of the other beneficial insects and small creatures in the garden (though you can't tell from this pic, the turtle is a baby, only the size of a quarter).  As an added bonus, they are entertaining to watch, if you are morbidly fascinated by predator/prey relationships.  Alright, I know that I am easily amused but it saves money on movie rental. 

Yes, there will be more bugs in the garden without pesticides, but I personally believe it is worth the difference in light of the dangers of pesticides.  I will go into the dangers of pesticides to humans and the environment soon, in a future post, but for now, please be kind to the spiders.  They are our garden friends.