Okay, so I am way behind on the A- Z Challenge. I don’t even know where we are at this point. All I know is things have been crazy busy here and I am having a hard time keeping up.
Jeff and I (mostly Jeff) cleaned and organized the barn so we can actually get a truck in there if we need to. That worked out really well since we got hail the other night. Perfect timing.
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The start of our garden.
Today is another two-fer, this time for the letter G. That’s because I can’t decide if I want to write about goats or gardening – both of which I love.
Gardening was my first love. I have been gardening since I was old enough to stand up. My parents always had a huge garden and summer was highlighted by eating fresh, yummy veggies every day. In fact, I would often raid the garden when I was outside playing, looking for goodies to snack on. Continue reading
The boys ready for a ride in the farm truck.
I don’t think I know anyone on a farm or homestead that doesn’t have a dog. That includes us. We have 3 dogs: A Rottie named Tango, a Boxer/Mastiff/Dane mix named Brewer, and a Cattle Dog mix (I think. I can never remember for some reason) named Chief.
Chief is the smallest, but he is the boss. Fortunately, he is pretty sweet, too. 🙂 Continue reading
Today’s A-Z Challenge post is the letter C. Chickens seemed like the natural topic because they are easy to keep and, in some places, you can have a few in your backyard even if you live in town. Raising chickens is a step toward being more self sufficient.
Chickens are pretty easy to keep. They need a draft-free coop as well as clean food and water. Food can be commercial feed from the farm store or it can be kitchen scraps, grass, bugs, worms… chickens will eat pretty much anything. Continue reading
As you may or may not know, the bee population is declining rapidly. Bees are dying off from disease as well as the increase use of pesticides farmers and gardeners use on their crops. You may think, “Who cares; it’s a bug” but the fact is, we need bees to live. Continue reading
Molly
I figured out my A post. Well, my husband did. Don’t know what I’d do without him. I was actually looking for something to eat.
So anyhow…
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No, not for Easter. This is sort of a year round thing on the homestead. Currently, we have 14 layers and, even though my husband built them a beautiful nest box, they seem to like laying eggs in odd places.
We have found eggs in the bushes, in the other barn in an old… um… I don’t know what it is. Some sort of contraption that should probably be in the trash.
My husband even found some in a box of stuff for electrochemical bore cleaning. (Do NOT ask me what that is. I have no clue. I asked Jeff what it was. That’s what he told me. It belonged to his dad so I assume it is related to guns. That’s all I can tell you.) Not necessarily a great place to lay a pile of eggs.
Tyrone and Petunia, er.. Pete.
Another really busy day today. I didn’t sleep much last night so I was less than pleased when my alarm went off this morning. But sleeping in was not an option because someone was coming to buy our potbellied pigs today, early.
Our original plan was to breed them and sell or butcher the babies. Yes, potbellied pigs are actually a meat breed, not a house pet. So first we got Tyrone, a solid black piggie who loved having his belly rubbed. Later we added petunia, a black piggie with a white belly. Petunia was very shy with no interest in belly rubs.
My first 2 goats, Ma and Thor.
I have a confession to make. I am an addict. No, no. Not what you’re thinking. I am addicted to goats. I love them. I would buy every single one I see if I could (and my husband is probably thankful that I can’t).
It’s spring on the homestead! Well, according to the calendar it’s Spring anyhow. I am not sure I’m buying it though. There are still piles of snow in places, I still have to wear four layers in the house to stay warm, and we are still getting freezing temperatures.
Oh well, I guess that’s Spring in Wisconsin.
On the other hand, I can see the grass, even if it is still brown. And, one of the first signs of Spring on the homestead for me – we have chicks!
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